Hypertrichosis in Females Applying Minoxidil Topical Solution and in Normal Controls
April 2003
in “
Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology
”
Studysummary This study found that minoxidil topical solution was associated with a dose-related occurrence of hypertrichosis, especially facial hair, in women treated for androgenetic alopecia. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The article examines the occurrence of hypertrichosis in females using minoxidil topical solution (MTS) for androgenetic alopecia (AGA). The study found that hypertrichosis/facial hair occurred more frequently in females who used MTS, with a dose-related pattern of response. The occurrence of hypertrichosis was slightly higher in older females relative to younger females for the 5% MTS group. The study also analyzed spontaneously reported adverse events of facial hair growth and hypertrichosis, which were estimated by the clinical investigator to be drug-related in a dose-dependent manner. The occurrence of hypertrichosis/facial hair reported by females was approximately 0.5%, which was considerably lower than that found in the adverse event reports in the clinical trials.