Oral spironolactone therapy for female patients with acne, hirsutism or androgenic alopecia
January 1985
in “British Journal of Dermatology”
TLDR Spironolactone is effective for treating acne, hirsutism, and androgenic alopecia in women with few side effects.
In a study from 1985, spironolactone was used to treat female patients with androgenic alopecia, hirsutism, and acne. The study included 12 patients with hirsutism, 7 with androgenic alopecia, and 8 with acne. Ten hirsutism patients were satisfied with the treatment, and 6 out of 7 patients with androgenic alopecia were pleased after 6 months, although this was a subjective assessment. For acne, 6 out of 8 patients noticed considerable improvement, with a mean improvement of 52% at 6 months based on the Leeds grading technique. The treatment also resulted in a significant reduction in sebum excretion rate (SER), with a 51 ± 6.5% reduction at 1 month, which was favorable compared to other treatments but less than the 90% reduction seen with 13-cis retinoic acid. The authors concluded that spironolactone has antiandrogenic potential and relatively few side effects, but they advised against its use in patients under 30 without good reason.
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