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Topical finasteride is a non-FDA-approved treatment for hair loss, which comes under a class of drugs called Type 2 5α-reductase inhibitors. This treatment option is often chosen due to the lack of systemic effects that can be seen with oral finasteride.
Key insights:
- The in vitro evidence shows that finasteride is an effective 5α-reductase inhibitor beneficial for people with male pattern baldness.
- The in vivo evidence shows that topical finasteride may protect against androgenetic alopecia. A 2% finasteride solution applied to an alopecia-like mouse resulted in an increase in follicle density as well as an enhanced number of growing (anagen) hairs
- 1% topical finasteride is as effective as 1 mg oral finasteride at treating hair loss, increasing total hair counts, and decreasing scalp and plasma levels of DHT. However, the number of studies is still limited, so further studies should be completed to support this.
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