A Cross-Sectional Randomized Comparative Study of Topical Minoxidil Solution With and Without Finasteride in Male Pattern Androgenetic Alopecia in South Indian Patients

In this study, the researchers aimed to determine the efficacy of topical minoxidil solution with and without finasteride in treating male pattern androgenetic alopecia. They randomized 300 subjects into two groups and treated one group with 0.1% topical finasteride with 5% minoxidil solution, while the other group received only 5% minoxidil solution. The analysis of the extent of bald area, hair count, and number of terminal hair showed no significant difference between the two groups. Therefore, the researchers concluded that adding topical finasteride to the minoxidil solution did not provide any additional therapeutic benefit and only increased the cost and unnecessary fear of sexual side effects in patients.