A Systematic Review on Clinical Evidence for Topical Metformin: Old Medication With New Application

    December 2024 in “ Health Science Reports ”
    Kimia Afshar, Sara Adibfard, Mohammad Hossein Nikbakht, Fereshte Rastegarnasab, Mahsa Pourmahdi‐Boroujeni, Bahareh Abtahi‐Naeini
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    TLDR Topical metformin shows promise for dental and skin treatments, including periodontitis, hair regrowth, wound healing, and acne.
    This systematic review evaluates the clinical evidence for topical metformin, traditionally an oral antihyperglycemic agent, in various medical conditions, including dermatologic and dental applications. The review includes 30 articles with 25 randomized clinical trials and a total sample size of 1,220 participants. Topical metformin has shown potential benefits in hair regrowth, melasma, acne vulgaris, wound healing, and periodontal treatment. Notably, it demonstrated significant improvements in clinical parameters for periodontitis and promising results in hair regrowth for conditions like central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). However, the review highlights the need for further research due to the limited number of clinical human studies, small sample sizes, and short follow-up periods.
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      community Can I make a DIY Topical metformin?

      in Treatment  5 upvotes 1 month ago
      The conversation is about using DIY topical metformin for hair loss. A user tried it without success, and it was not combined with microneedling.

      community TCA 35% chemical peel, don't try this shit at home.

      in Treatment  11 upvotes 2 weeks ago
      The conversation discusses using a TCA 35% chemical peel on the scalp to potentially improve hair growth by addressing fibrosis and enhancing the effectiveness of topical treatments. The user also mentions trying microneedling and other methods like topical metformin and dutasteride for hair regrowth.
      If You Have DUPA, PLEASE READ THIS: Everyone Should Be Scalp Biopsied

      community If You Have DUPA, PLEASE READ THIS: Everyone Should Be Scalp Biopsied

      in Research  830 upvotes 1 year ago
      Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.

      community Topical rapamycin, metformin, a-kg grow hair

      in Research/Science  12 upvotes 5 years ago
      The conversation discusses the potential of topical rapamycin, metformin, and alpha-ketoglutarate (a-KG) for hair growth, with skepticism expressed about their effectiveness based on personal experience and existing use. It also mentions AICAR, known as cardarine or GW, which is not suitable for long-term use due to cancer risks in animal studies and its similarity to metformin.

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