Topical Minoxidil Useful in 18% of Patients with Androgenetic Alopecia: A Study of 430 Cases

This text is a study published in 1986 by Antonella Tosti of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Bologna, Italy. The study looks into the effects of topical minoxidil to induce hair regrowth in androgenetic alopecia. After treating 430 patients with 1% minoxidil lotion twice daily for 6 months, only 18% had good results and 33% of those maintained their regrowth after treatment was discontinued. It was concluded that this treatment should be carefully evaluated given its cost and unknown long-term risks due to the small percentage of satisfactory results it can achieve.