81 citations
,
August 2014 in “Lasers in Surgery and Medicine” This study found that low-level laser therapy significantly increased hair growth in women with androgenic alopecia, achieving a 37% greater increase in hair counts compared to placebo.
151 citations
,
May 2014 in “American Journal of Clinical Dermatology” This review concluded that oral finasteride for men and topical minoxidil for both genders have the most evidence supporting their effectiveness and safety for treating androgenetic alopecia.
15 citations
,
February 2014 in “BMC Research Notes” This study found that male androgenic alopecia patients using the X5 hair laser device showed a statistically significant increase in hair growth over a 26-week period.
147 citations
,
January 2014 in “American Journal of Clinical Dermatology” This study found that low-level laser treatment with the HairMax Lasercomb significantly increased terminal hair density in both men and women with pattern hair loss, with no serious adverse events reported.
45 citations
,
January 2014 in “International Journal of Trichology” This study found that low-level laser therapy may improve hair growth in patients with androgenetic alopecia, either as a standalone treatment or combined with minoxidil or finasteride, without reported adverse reactions.
117 citations
,
September 2013 in “Lasers in Surgery and Medicine” This study found that low level laser therapy at 655 nm significantly increased hair counts in males with androgenetic alopecia.
165 citations
,
August 2013 in “Lasers in Surgery and Medicine” This review discusses the potential mechanisms and evidence supporting low-level laser therapy for stimulating hair growth in men and women, while noting its safety and effectiveness but needing further study on specific parameters.
106 citations
,
April 2013 in “Dermatologic Surgery” This study found that low-level light therapy significantly increased hair density and diameter in androgenetic alopecia patients compared to a sham device, suggesting it could be an effective treatment option.
40 citations
,
October 2012 in “British Journal of Dermatology” This review assessed available treatments for female pattern hair loss and found that minoxidil improved hair regrowth compared to placebo, though high-quality evidence was limited for other interventions.
1057 citations
,
November 2011 in “Annals of Biomedical Engineering” This review discusses the applications of low level laser therapy (LLLT) in wound healing, pain reduction, and treating various conditions, but reports no new clinical results; the authors highlight the need for randomized controlled trials for serious diseases.
13 citations
,
October 2011 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology” This study found no improvement in male-pattern hair loss after six months of using laser hair-comb therapy in two men.
198 citations
,
October 2011 in “Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft” This article discusses the development of an evidence-based guideline for treating androgenetic alopecia and reports no new research results.
81 citations
,
July 2011 in “Lasers in Medical Science” This study found that using a low-level laser comb led to hair regrowth in a mouse model of alopecia areata, while sham-treated mice showed no hair regrowth.
152 citations
,
October 2010 in “Archives of Dermatology” This study found that daily oral finasteride may increase hair count and improve hair appearance assessments in men with androgenetic alopecia, but it also appears to raise the risk of sexual dysfunction.
100 citations
,
April 2010 in “Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy” This article reviews existing treatments for male-pattern hair loss, noting that while they can slow progression, they generally achieve only partial hair regrowth.
90 citations
,
January 2009 in “Journal of cosmetic and laser therapy” In this study, low-level laser therapy showed no statistically significant improvements in hair growth measures, despite some patients experiencing increases in terminal hairs and shaft diameter.
160 citations
,
January 2009 in “Clinical Drug Investigation” This study found that the HairMax LaserComb® significantly increased hair density and was safe and well tolerated for treating androgenetic alopecia in men compared to a sham device.
28 citations
,
March 2007 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” In this study, researchers found that the existing Norwood and Hamilton classifications for androgenetic alopecia in Indian males had significant limitations, with 18% of cases not fitting into existing pattern categories.
203 citations
,
December 2004 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This article reviews the historical developments in understanding and treating male pattern hair loss, emphasizing the role of dihydrotestosterone and 5α-reductase inhibitors, but reports no new clinical findings.
219 citations
,
March 2004 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” In this 48-week trial, 5% topical minoxidil was more effective than both 2% minoxidil and placebo in promoting hair growth in women with female pattern hair loss, with notable improvements in nonvellus hair count and hair growth assessments.
75 citations
,
August 2003 in “International journal of cosmetic surgery and aesthetic dermatology” This study found that low level laser therapy with a HairMax LaserComb improved hair counts and tensile strength in patients with androgenetic alopecia, particularly in males and vertex areas.
78 citations
,
June 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings” TGF-β1 from dermal papilla cells suppresses hair growth, and targeting it may help treat androgenetic alopecia.
118 citations
,
May 2003 in “Toxicological Sciences” This study found that prenatal exposure to finasteride in rats led to permanent changes in developmental endpoints like anogenital distance and nipple retention, which were predictive of further reproductive tract malformations.
88 citations
,
October 2002 in “Journal of Dermatology” In this study, 19 patients treated with finasteride for androgenetic alopecia developed moderate to severe depression, which resolved after stopping the medication, suggesting an association between finasteride and mood disturbances.
269 citations
,
August 2002 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that 5% topical minoxidil significantly increased hair regrowth and improved psychosocial perceptions of hair loss in men with androgenetic alopecia compared to 2% topical minoxidil and placebo over 48 weeks.
56 citations
,
January 2001 in “Dermatology” This study introduces the concept of teloptosis, which influences hair shedding during the telogen phase and affects hair density, highlighting that early or delayed teloptosis has noticeable effects.
12 citations
,
March 2000 in “CRC Press eBooks” 
32 citations
,
October 1999 in “Journal of women's health and gender-based medicine” This study found that women with androgenetic alopecia report various negative impacts on their lives due to hair thinning, highlighting emotional concerns and dissatisfaction with appearance.
1113 citations
,
August 1999 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” This article discusses the biologic and psychosocial significance of hair, the current limitations in hair growth drugs, and anticipates future therapies based on advancing hair follicle research.
173 citations
,
July 1995 in “Biochemical and biophysical research communications” This study suggests that IGF-I may mediate androgen-induced hair growth in outer root sheath cells cocultured with beard dermal papilla cells.
