Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil Versus Topical Solution in the Improvement of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

November 2023 in “ Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology ”

Ali Asilian, Aida Farmani, Farahnaz Fatemi Naeini

oral minoxidil topical minoxidil androgenetic alopecia hair diameter hair density systemic medication topical therapy side effects therapeutic effects AGA

TLDR Oral minoxidil is more convenient but topical minoxidil improves hair density better.

The study involved 65 patients with androgenetic alopecia and compared the effectiveness of 1mg oral minoxidil to a 5% topical solution over 6 months. Both treatments significantly increased the mean hair diameter, with no significant difference between the two. However, the topical solution showed a significant improvement in hair density in photographic assessments. Despite this, oral minoxidil was found to be more patient-friendly due to its simple daily systemic medication compared to topical therapy. Side effects were reported, but patients in the oral minoxidil group were willing to continue treatment. The study concluded that while topical minoxidil had better overall therapeutic effects, oral minoxidil was more convenient and cost-saving for patients. Further studies with larger numbers of participants and longer follow-up periods are required to determine the optimum dosage of oral minoxidil for males and females with AGA.

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