Topical Minoxidil: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Its Efficacy in Androgenetic Alopecia

September 2015 in “ PubMed ”

Anik Gupta, Andrew Charrette

topical minoxidil androgenetic alopecia hair count placebo nonvellus hair investigator assessments patient self-assessments compliance novel formulations combinations Rogaine AGA

TLDR Topical minoxidil significantly increases hair growth in androgenetic alopecia but only some patients see cosmetically acceptable results.

The systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of topical minoxidil in treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA). The study synthesized data from various sources and found that minoxidil significantly increased hair count compared to placebo, with a mean difference (MD) of 16.68 for total hair and 20.90 for nonvellus hair. Both investigator assessments and patient self-assessments indicated higher hair growth in the minoxidil group, with relative risks (RR) of 2.28 and 1.56, respectively. Despite its clinical efficacy, cosmetically acceptable results were achieved in only a subset of patients, with compliance being a major limiting factor. Novel formulations and combinations were suggested to improve adherence.

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