Psychosocial Impact of Androgenetic Alopecia on Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 studies, involving 10,620 men from 21 countries, examined the psychosocial impact of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) on men. The study found that AGA has a mild to moderate impact on men's quality of life, but does not significantly affect their mental health. Specifically, 43% of the assessments indicated poorer mental health in men with AGA, while 57% showed average or better mental health compared to those without AGA. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the poor quality and heterogeneity of the research, the use of different measures, and the high proportion of probable conflicts of interest (78%). The study suggests that dermatological care should provide accurate education about the psychosocial impact of AGA, without overstating the levels of distress. Future research should adopt more robust designs, use validated measures, and recruit representative samples.