Clinical Utility and Validity of Minoxidil Response Testing in Androgenetic Alopecia

February 2016 in “ Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ”

Juan Ferrando, José M Mir-Bonafé

minoxidil androgenetic alopecia sulfotransferase activity assay anagen hairs topical minoxidil therapy follicular sulfotransferase activity Rogaine AGA

TLDR A hair test can accurately predict if a person with hair loss will respond to minoxidil treatment.

In 2016, Goren A and colleagues explored the clinical utility and validity of a sulfotransferase activity assay in guiding treatment for androgenetic alopecia (AGA). The researchers conducted an assay procedure on plucked anagen hairs from AGA patients, immersing them in a solution and measuring the optical absorbance at 405nm with a spectrophotometer. They found that a value of less than 0.4 absorbance units indicated low follicular sulfotransferase activity. The assay was able to predict response to 5% topical minoxidil therapy with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 71%. This test could potentially rule out nonresponders to minoxidil, reducing the side effects, emotional stress, and expense associated with using an ineffective drug.

View this study on facultyopinions.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Related Community Posts Join

6 / 1000+ results

community Daily aspirin is ruining your Min. gains

in Minoxidil 5 upvotes 1 year ago

Aspirin reduces the effectiveness of minoxidil for hair loss. Quercetin and 5-ASA medications also inhibit the necessary enzyme for minoxidil to work.

community Comprehensive Microneedling Guide

in Microneedling 295 upvotes 2 years ago

Microneedling for hair restoration involves daily use of a 0.3 mm device and weekly use of a 0.5 mm device. Combining microneedling with Minoxidil can enhance hair growth.

community Study: minoxidil alone is just as effective as minox+tretinoin+azelaic acid

in Research/Science 18 upvotes 3 years ago

Minoxidil alone is just as effective as when combined with tretinoin and azelaic acid for hair loss. People adding tretinoin and azelaic acid to minoxidil may not see the expected benefits.

community Will minoxidil not work if there’s too much DHT present in the scalp?

in Minoxidil 5 upvotes 8 months ago

The user has been using topical finasteride and minoxidil for five months with little progress and is considering oral dutasteride to lower DHT levels, questioning if minoxidil is more effective with reduced DHT. They also use microneedling and tretinoin in their treatment routine.

community Am i too obsessed with hair loss prevention? And Is This obsession healty? Am i the only one? Look at my collection In This picture: Oral finasteride/ topical finasteride/ minoxidil 5% + tretinoin/ minoxidil 5%/ Alfatradiol 0.025%/Stemoxydine 5%/ dermapen/ketoconazole 1%/viviscal/procyanidin B2.

in Chat 49 upvotes 2 years ago

User obsessed with hair loss prevention shares collection of treatments, including oral and topical finasteride, minoxidil, dermapen, and more. Others suggest adding RU58841, laser helmet, and PRP, while some advise dropping certain treatments for long-term manageability.

community Exploring Bryan Johnson's Hair Routine In Detail

in Research/Science 65 upvotes 10 months ago

Bryan Johnson uses a custom hair loss treatment that includes topical finasteride, minoxidil, azelaic acid, diclofenac, tea tree oil, rosemary oil, ginkgo biloba, biotin, and melatonin, which have shown varying degrees of effectiveness with minimal side effects. He also undergoes PRP and laser therapy, and has tried dutasteride mesotherapy.

Related Research

3 / 3 results

research Topical Agents for Hair Growth Promotion: What Is Out There?

June 2013 in “PubMed”

Minoxidil is the only approved cream for hair loss, but new treatments are being looked into.

research Effects of Hair Tonic and Food Including Korean Medicinal Herbs on Hair Growth in an Alopecia Model of C57BL/6 Mice

2 citations, January 2011 in “The Korea Journal of Herbology”

Korean medicinal herbs in hair tonic and food increased hair growth in mice.

research Androgenetic Alopecia in Adolescents

12 citations, February 2003 in “PubMed”