2015/08/10 by Jerome H. Check, Rachael Cohen · 1 citation
Medicine · Engineering · #Hair Growth and Disorders #Dyeing and Modifying Textile Fibers #Facial Rejuvenation and Surgery Techniques #Minoxidil #Medicine #Hair loss #Spironolactone #Pubic hair #Dermatology #Randomized controlled trial #Dutasteride #Regimen #Pharmacology #Internal medicine #Cancer
paper · pdf · doi:10.12891/ceog1960.2015
openalex publication_date 2015/08/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
PURPOSE: To review treatment options for hair loss in women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Suggestions for treatment were based on a thorough literature search plus the present authors' experience. RESULTS: There are controlled studies that support the present authors' typical treatment regimen of identifying if there are increased androgens, and if so, identify the source (ovary and/or adrenal) and then suppress with drugs, e.g., oral contraceptives or glucocorticoids. If serum androgens are normal, agents that block dihydrotestosterone at the hair shaft level, e.g., spironolactone or 5a reductase inhibitors seem to be effective. However, a recent Cochrane systematic review concludes that the only drug proven to improve alopecia by randomized controlled studies using rigorous criteria is minoxidil. CONCLUSIONS: The present authors will add minoxidil to their normal treatment paradigm based on this later study. The previous reasons for it was the quality of the hair produced (generally much shorter than other head hair). For alopecia related to inflammation, the present authors may have discovered a novel therapy--dextroamphetamine sulfate.