Changes in hair weight and hair
count in men with androgenetic alopecia after treatment with finasteride, 1 mg,
daily.
Price VH, Menefee E, Sanchez M, Ruane P, Kaufman KD.
Am Acad Dermatol. 2002 Apr
University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
BACKGROUND: Finasteride, a type II 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, reduces scalp and
serum dihydrotestosterone and has been shown to be effective in men with
androgenetic alopecia (AGA).
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to
determine the effect of finasteride on scalp hair weight in men with AGA.
METHODS: Sixty-six men with AGA received finasteride, 1 mg/d, or placebo in a
48-week study, and 49 men continued in a 48-week extension. Efficacy was
assessed by scalp hair weights and hair counts.
RESULTS: As expected, hair
counts improved with finasteride (net mean percent change +/- SE [95% CI]
compared with placebo = 9.2% +/- 2.8% [3.8, 14.6] and 15.4% +/- 3.2% [9.1, 21.7]
at 48 and 96 weeks, respectively; P <.01 for both time points), and net
improvements in hair weight were greater (25.6% +/- 3.6% [18.5, 32.7] and 35.8%
+/- 4.6% [26.7, 44.8] at 48 and 96 weeks, respectively; P <.001 for both time
points).
Finasteride was generally well tolerated.
CONCLUSION: In this study, finasteride, 1 mg, increased hair weight in men with AGA.
Hair weight increased
to a larger extent than hair count, implying that factors other than the number
of hairs, such as increased growth rate (length) and thickness of hairs,
contribute to the beneficial effects of finasteride in treated men.
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