A Critical Review of the Results of Clinical Experimentation with Topical Minoxidil 2%

Clinical double-blind trials from 1990 showed that topical minoxidil 2% was effective in producing satisfactory aesthetic results in about 30% of patients. However, an increase in hair count was also observed in placebo-treated subjects, which was hypothesized to be due to not accounting for seasonal hair density variations and confusion in categorizing hair types. The study concluded that placebo did not significantly increase terminal hair count, explaining the lack of cosmetic benefit despite an increase in "non-vello" hairs.