December 2003
Ketocazole as an adjunct to finasteride in the treatment of
androgenetic alopecia in men
B. S. Hugo Perez
California College of Podiatric Medicine, 371 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA
94133, USA
Received 5 June 2002; accepted 11 November 2002. ; Available online 18 December
2003.
Abstract
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) binding to androgen receptors (AR) in hair
follicles is commonly accepted as the first step leading to the miniaturizing of
follicles associated with androgenetic alopecia (AGA).
Testosterone is converted to DHT by the enzyme 5 -reductase.
Finasateride a 5-reducase
inhibitor blocks the production of DHT and is currently used to treat AGA.
The inhibition is not complete but a reduction of DHT systemically and in the
scalp is accomplished.
Ketoconazole has been clinically shown to be effective in the treatment of
AGA. In this paper, evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that
ketoconazole 2% shampoo has a local disruption of the DHT pathway.
It is proposed that using ketoconazole 2% shampoo as an adjunct to
finasteride treatment could lead to a more complete inhibition of DHT and thus
better treat AGA.
 
Hair loss products and Hair loss treatments
|
