Topical Minoxidil for Androgenetic Alopecia in Women: A Systematic Review
January 2012
in “
Sichuan Medical Journal
”
TLDR 2% minoxidil effectively increases hair count in women with androgenetic alopecia without severe side effects.
The systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of topical minoxidil for treating androgenetic alopecia in women by analyzing 8 high-quality randomized controlled trials involving 1,252 patients. The meta-analysis showed that 2% minoxidil significantly increased non-vellus hair count and was more effective than placebo, with a weighted mean difference of 11.68 hairs per cm² and relative risks of 1.27 and 1.54 based on patient and researcher evaluations, respectively. No severe side effects were identified. However, due to limited studies, no definitive conclusions could be drawn for comparisons involving 1% and 5% minoxidil or between 2% minoxidil and alfatradiol.
