Spironolactone Versus Placebo or in Combination with Steroids for Hirsutism and Acne
October 2003
Studysummary This review reports that 100 mg/day spironolactone improved hair growth more than placebo and was more effective in reducing hair growth than finasteride and low-dose cyproterone acetate, but its effectiveness for acne remains unclear due to small sample sizes. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of spironolactone, alone or in combination with steroids, in treating hirsutism and acne in women. Seven small randomized controlled trials with no more than 41 participants each were included. The review found that 100 mg/day of spironolactone significantly improved hair growth and reduced Ferriman-Gallwey scores when compared to placebo. Additionally, spironolactone was superior to finasteride 5 mg/day and low-dose cyproterone acetate 12.5 mg/day in maintaining these improvements up to 12 months after treatment ended. However, the effectiveness of spironolactone for acne could not be determined due to the small sample sizes of the trials. The wide confidence intervals and small sample populations limit the confidence in these findings, making it difficult to assess the clinical value of spironolactone for these conditions based on the available research.
