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Glossary Topical Treatments

medications applied directly to the skin or scalp

Topical treatments, also known as topical agents or topical medications, are medications applied directly to a specific area of the skin or scalp to treat localized conditions. These treatments can include creams, gels, ointments, and lotions, and are commonly used for conditions like alopecia, psoriasis, and eczema, delivering active ingredients directly to the affected area to minimize systemic side effects.

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Research

5 / 1000+ results

research Use of topical clascoterone for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa

10 citations , April 2023 in “JAAD Case Reports”

This article discusses the challenges in treating hidradenitis suppurativa, highlighting that adalimumab is currently the only FDA-approved treatment, and reports no clinical results.

research Nanotechnology-based topical treatments for androgenic alopecia

June 2025 in “Nanomedicine”

This abstract introduces androgenic alopecia as the most common form of non-cicatricial alopecia, which predominantly affects men but also has a significant occurrence in women; however, specific research results or conclusions about treatments or mechanisms are not reported in the summary.

research A Systematic Review of Topical Finasteride in the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia in Men and Women.

23 citations , April 2018 in “PubMed”

This review finds preliminary evidence suggesting that topical finasteride may significantly reduce hair loss and increase hair counts in treating androgenetic alopecia, with a promising safety profile.

research ORAL AND TOPICAL FINASTERIDE IN THE TREATMENT OF MALE ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA – NARRATIVE REVIEW

February 2026 in “Archiv Euromedica”

In this narrative review, researchers reported that oral finasteride significantly improved hair count and density in male androgenetic alopecia but had higher systemic exposure and potential side effects compared to topical formulations, which provided similar efficacy with lower systemic DHT suppression.

research Faculty Opinions recommendation of Topical finasteride for the treatment of male androgenetic alopecia and female pattern hair loss: a review of the current literature.

December 2021 in “Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature”

Topical finasteride is promising for hair loss with minimal side effects but needs more research and approval.

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Community Join

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community Minimizing systemic DHT reduction with topicals

5 upvotes 1 month ago

The conversation discusses minimizing systemic DHT reduction using topical treatments for hair loss, specifically mentioning Minoxidil, Finasteride, and a proprietary carrier for DUT by XYON Health. The focus is on finding effective DHT blockers with minimal systemic absorption.

community Any treatment not nuking systemic DHT levels?

16 upvotes 7 months ago

Hair loss treatments that avoid significantly lowering systemic DHT levels, focusing on topical options like dutasteride mesotherapy, minoxidil, and ketoconazole. The user is exploring alternatives like KX-826 and RU58841 due to concerns about hormone levels.

community Confused on oral vs topical DHT Blockers

4 upvotes 4 months ago

Oral DHT blockers like finasteride are preferred for their ease of use, effectiveness, and long-term safety data, while topical treatments like RU58841 lack extensive safety data and can be more cumbersome to apply. Oral treatments are generally considered more effective and convenient despite potential side effects.

community Topical foam 5% Min, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D treatment since July

in Progress Pictures 26 upvotes 9 months ago

The conversation discusses hair loss treatments, specifically using 5% minoxidil foam, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D, with suggestions to add oral finasteride and minoxidil for better results. Concerns about side effects, particularly from finasteride, and the need for a DHT blocker are also highlighted.

community Is there any role for topical DHT antagonists, or does a 5-AR inhibitor remove the need for them as therapy

2 upvotes 1 year ago

Topical androgen receptor antagonists may not be necessary if 5-AR inhibitors like finasteride or dutasteride effectively reduce DHT levels. Combining a 5-AR inhibitor with a topical androgen antagonist could potentially enhance treatment, but oral use of androgen antagonists is too risky due to severe side effects.

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Learn

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learn Hair Transplant

How long does a hair transplant procedure take? A hair transplant procedure typically takes 4 to 8 hours.
How long does recovery take after a hair transplant? Recovery after a hair transplant typically takes 7 to 14 days for initial healing.

learn Clascoterone

a novel topical treatment that inhibits DHT on androgen receptors

What is clascoterone and how does it work against hair loss? Clascoterone is a topical treatment that blocks DHT to prevent hair loss.

learn Spironolactone

powerful topical and oral anti-androgen used mostly by women

learn Finasteride

Frontline, gold standard treatment for combatting androgenic alopecia

learn RU58841

a potent but unapproved and potentially problematic topical anti-androgen

learn Minoxidil

An essential vasodilator with some anti-androgenic effects

learn Fluridil

How is Fluridil different from other DHT blockers like finasteride? Fluridil is a topical androgen-receptor blocker applied to the scalp, while finasteride is an oral 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor that lowers DHT throughout the body. Finasteride is FDA-approved and far better studied; Fluridil rests on one 43-man trial and is not licensed as a hair-loss medicine, so its long-term safety and effect size are unknown.

learn Alfatradiol

Alfatradiol: Can it help if my hair loss is linked to DHT? The one randomised trial of topical alfatradiol — in 103 women — found hair thickness and density essentially unchanged after six months, while minoxidil improved both; its authors credited alfatradiol with slowing hair loss rather than regrowing hair. Laboratory work supports a local effect on follicular DHT, but no controlled trial in men appears to have been published.

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Clinics

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