The Impact of Monotherapies for Male Androgenetic Alopecia: A Network Meta-Analysis Study

May 2024 in “ Journal of cosmetic dermatology ”

Aditya K. Gupta, Mary Bamimore, Tong Wang, Milton Talukder

monotherapies male androgenetic alopecia Bayesian network meta-analysis total hair density terminal hair density Dutasteride oral 5-alpha reductase inhibitors oral minoxidil Botox microneedling photobiomodulation AGA Propecia Rogaine

TLDR "Dutasteride 0.5 mg daily is the most effective treatment for male hair loss."

This network meta-analysis of 41 studies evaluated the effectiveness of various monotherapies for male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) over 24 weeks. Dutasteride 0.5 mg once daily was found to be the most effective in increasing both total and terminal hair densities, outperforming finasteride 1 mg once daily and topical cetirizine 1% twice daily. While newer treatments like PRP, LLLT, microneedling, cetirizine, and Botox did not show significant differences compared to established treatments, the study highlights the potential dose-dependent impact of these therapies and the need for standardized protocols in future trials.

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