Studysummary Finasteride for female hair loss has low side effects, more research needed. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
This research letter discusses the use of finasteride, a drug used to treat male pattern hair loss, in women for the treatment of female pattern hair loss and frontal fibrosing alopecia. The study conducted a PubMed search for all reported instances of women taking finasteride for hair loss and found a very low prevalence of adverse effects, including decreased libido, and no data on post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) among women taking finasteride for hair loss. Nonetheless, the authors suggest that further studies are needed to better characterize the long-term side effects of finasteride use in women.
57 citations
,
July 2016 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” This study concluded that 5α-reductase inhibitors were linked to increased sexual dysfunction in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia, but not in men with androgenetic alopecia.
44 citations
,
January 2013 in “International Journal of Trichology” This study found that 5 mg/day oral finasteride was effective and safe for improving hair outcomes in normoandrogenic postmenopausal women with androgenetic alopecia over 18 months.
71 citations
,
November 2012 in “Expert Opinion on Drug Safety” This article reviews the reported sexual and psychological side effects of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors for benign prostatic hyperplasia, emphasizing the need for further clinical studies.
225 citations
,
July 2007 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” In this study, patients informed about finasteride's potential sexual side effects reported a significantly higher occurrence of these side effects, suggesting a nocebo effect.
138 citations
,
March 2001 in “Clinics in Dermatology” This review discusses the relationship between perceived stress and hair loss or graying, exploring hair follicles as a model system but reports no new clinical results.
