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December 2011 in “Fertility and sterility” Experts agree that PCOS affects women's health in complex ways, but more research is needed to understand and treat it effectively.
305 citations,
March 2008 in “AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism” 277 citations,
February 2013 in “Science Signaling” Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species are essential for skin and hair development.
193 citations,
August 1985 in “Endocrinology” Different animals have unique versions of the enzyme that changes testosterone into another hormone, which is important for creating effective treatments for prostate and hair loss conditions.
183 citations,
March 1982 in “JAMA” Spironolactone is a safe and effective treatment for reducing excessive hair growth in women.
165 citations,
February 1994 in “Fertility and Sterility” Flutamide is more effective and has fewer side effects than spironolactone for treating hirsutism.
142 citations,
February 1985 in “Fertility and sterility” Spironolactone reduced hair thickness and some testosterone levels in women with excessive hair growth.
124 citations,
September 1980 in “The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism/Journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism” Spironolactone is effective in treating excessive hair growth in women.
112 citations,
April 2009 in “Cochrane library” Spironolactone may reduce excessive hair growth in women but its effectiveness for acne is not supported.
104 citations,
October 1999 in “The Journal of Urology” Finasteride doesn't harm male fertility or sperm quality, but may slightly reduce ejaculate volume.
101 citations,
January 1985 in “British Journal of Dermatology” Spironolactone is effective for treating acne, hirsutism, and androgenic alopecia in women with few side effects.
94 citations,
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July 2009 in “PTR. Phytotherapy research/Phytotherapy research” Spearmint tea may reduce testosterone and self-reported hair growth in women with PCOS.
89 citations,
November 2014 in “International Journal of Nanomedicine” Using nanostructured lipid carriers to deliver spironolactone could improve treatment for hair loss.
89 citations,
May 1999 in “Allergy” The yeast Pityrosporum ovale can cause skin allergies and infections, and antifungal treatments like ketoconazole are effective against it.
83 citations,
June 2020 in “Materials & Design” Sponge helps heal wounds faster with less inflammation and better skin/hair growth.
80 citations,
December 2017 in “International Journal of Dermatology” Low-dose oral minoxidil and spironolactone combo effectively reduces hair loss and improves hair density in women.
80 citations,
January 1988 in “The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism/Journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism” Spironolactone can cause side effects like irregular bleeding, but lower doses may reduce these effects and still improve hirsutism.
78 citations,
October 2012 in “Biomaterials” Larger spheroids improve hair growth, but size doesn't guarantee thicker hair.
78 citations,
May 1989 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism” Spironolactone effectively reduces hair growth in women with hirsutism and is generally well-tolerated.
76 citations,
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75 citations,
July 2013 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Taking low-dose spironolactone and metformin together works better for PCOS symptoms than either drug alone.
75 citations,
August 2011 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Forming spheres boosts the ability of certain human cells to create hair follicles when mixed with mouse skin cells.
75 citations,
October 2010 in “Mammalian genome” Sphynx cats are hairless and Devon Rex cats have curly hair due to specific genetic mutations.
68 citations,
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February 2010 in “Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica” Hirsutism is a strong sign of high male hormones and metabolic problems in women with PCOS, but acne and hair loss are not.
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April 1995 in “The journal of cell biology/The Journal of cell biology” A new protein was made to detect specific skin cell growth receptors and worked in normal skin but not in skin cancer cells.
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December 2007 in “Journal of biological chemistry/The Journal of biological chemistry” A specific chemical change in the S100A3 protein leads to the formation of a four-part structure important for hair formation.
61 citations,
July 2011 in “PLOS ONE” Spermidine may help reduce hair loss and deserves further testing as a treatment.
56 citations,
April 2003 in “Fertility and Sterility” All three treatments reduce hirsutism, but spironolactone works best long-term.