Comparison Between Topical Cetirizine With Minoxidil Versus Topical Placebo With Minoxidil In Female Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

December 2022 in “ Archives of Dermatological Research ”

Eglal A Bassiouny, Solwan I El-Samanoudy, Maggie M Abbassi, Hanan R Nada, Samar F. Farid

cetirizine minoxidil androgenetic alopecia hair density hair shaft thickness follicular unit vertex area Rogaine

From the encyclopedia

popular antihistamine showing promise for hair loss as an anti-inflammatory and prostaglandin inhibitor

An essential vasodilator with some anti-androgenic effects

Studysummary This study found that topical cetirizine increased hair shaft thickness and improved clinical outcomes from the patients' perspective in female androgenetic alopecia compared to minoxidil alone, with similar side effect profiles. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study compared the efficacy and safety of topical cetirizine with minoxidil versus topical placebo with minoxidil in 66 female patients with androgenetic alopecia over 24 weeks. The cetirizine group showed significant improvements in hair density, hair shaft thickness, and the average number of hairs per follicular unit, particularly in the vertex area, compared to the placebo group. Patients in the cetirizine group also reported better self-assessment scores. Side effects were similar between the two groups, indicating that cetirizine is a safe and effective addition to minoxidil for treating female androgenetic alopecia.

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Research cited in this study

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