Treatment of Female Pattern Hair Loss With Oral Antiandrogens

The study evaluated the effectiveness of oral antiandrogens in treating female pattern hair loss (FPHL) in 80 women. The study found that oral antiandrogen therapy was effective in treating FPHL, even in women with no clinical or biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenism. The midscalp clinical grade was the only variable with a significant association to response, indicating that women with higher grades of hair loss will respond better to therapy. The study suggests the need for a placebo-controlled study to compare the outcome with the natural history of FPHL and genetic research to investigate whether identified genetic polymorphisms on the androgen receptor implicated in male pattern hair loss are also relevant in FPHL.