Interventions for Androgenic Alopecia in Women

April 2009 in “ Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews ”

Carlos C Cusmanich, C Whitney Hannon, Régis B Andriolo, Hermenio C. Lima

androgenic alopecia minoxidil estrogens anti-androgens topical interventions systemic interventions Rogaine

Studysummary This protocol outlines a planned Cochrane Review assessing the effectiveness and safety of treatments for androgenic alopecia in women, reporting no new research findings. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This document is a protocol for a review on the effectiveness and safety of available treatments for androgenic alopecia (AGA) in women. AGA is the most common type of hair loss affecting both men and women, characterized by continuous thinning of sensitive hair follicles. The objective of the review is to determine the effectiveness and safety of available treatment options for AGA in women. Current treatment options include topical or systemic interventions, such as minoxidil, estrogens, and anti-androgens, but none have demonstrated a permanent beneficial effect. The review aims to determine the effectiveness and safety of available options for the treatment of AGA in women.

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Research cited in this study

11 / 11 results

research Interventions for Alopecia Areata

164 citations , April 2008 in “Cochrane library”

This review of interventions for alopecia areata found no significant treatment benefits for hair growth compared to placebo, indicating a need for larger, well-conducted studies.

research Treatment of Female Pattern Hair Loss With Oral Antiandrogens

179 citations , March 2005 in “British Journal of Dermatology”

This study found that 88% of women with female pattern hair loss who received oral antiandrogens saw no progression or improvement in their condition.

research Decreased Serum Ferritin Is Associated With Alopecia in Women

163 citations , November 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

This study found that women with androgenetic alopecia or alopecia areata have significantly lower serum ferritin levels than those without hair loss, suggesting a potential link between these types of alopecia and decreased iron stores.

research Androgenetic Alopecia in Women

139 citations , June 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings”

This article reviews androgenetic alopecia in women, highlighting diagnosis criteria and noting that topical minoxidil is currently the only proven treatment for hair growth; it reports no clinical trial findings.

research Androgenetic Alopecia: Pathogenesis and Potential for Therapy

174 citations , November 2002 in “Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine”

This review discusses the genetic factors contributing to androgenetic alopecia and highlights the potential for developing more effective therapies based on recent discoveries, but reports no new clinical results.

research Molecular Mechanisms of Androgenetic Alopecia

229 citations , August 2002 in “Experimental Gerontology”

This paper discusses key mechanisms of androgen metabolism in androgenetic alopecia and reports the effectiveness of treatments like oral finasteride and topical minoxidil, highlighting the limited success rate due to factors like follicular inflammation.

research Female Pattern Hair Loss

226 citations , September 2001 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Hair loss in women is genetic, diagnosed by examination and biopsy, and treated with minoxidil, finasteride, or transplantation.

research Incidence of Female Androgenetic Alopecia (Female Pattern Alopecia)

89 citations , January 2001 in “Dermatologic Surgery”

Hair loss in women is common, starts in late 20s, and affects 30% of women over 50.

research Development of a Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Women with Androgenetic Alopecia

31 citations , November 2000 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology”

This study developed the Women's Androgenetic Alopecia Quality of Life Questionnaire, which shows high reliability and internal consistency for assessing the impact of AGA on women's quality of life.

research Androgenetic Alopecia and Microinflammation

131 citations , August 2000 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

Inflammation may be linked to hair loss, and targeting specific enzymes could help treat it.

research Classification of the Types of Androgenetic Alopecia (Common Baldness) Occurring in the Female Sex

666 citations , September 1977 in “British Journal of Dermatology”

This article presents a classification system for stages of female-pattern androgenetic alopecia to aid early diagnosis and mentions existing systems for rare male-pattern cases, but reports no new clinical results.