Frontal edema due to mesotherapy for androgenetic alopecia: A case series

Female pattern hair loss: therapeutic update

Female androgenetic alopecia or female-pattern hair loss (FPHL) is highly prevalent and has a great impact on the quality of life. The treatment is a routine challenge in dermatological practice, as many therapeutic options have a limited level of evidence and often do not meet patients expectations. Lack of knowledge of the pathogenesis of the hair miniaturization process and the factors that regulate follicular morphogenesis restricts the prospect of innovative therapies. There is also a lack of randomized, controlled studies with longitudinal follow-up, using objective outcomes and exploring the performance of the available treatments and their combinations. Topical minoxidil, which has been used to treat female pattern hair loss since the 1990s, is the only medication that has a high level of evidence and remains the first choice. However, about 40% of patients do not show improvement with this treatment. In this article, the authors critically discuss the main clinical and surgical therapeutic alternatives for FPHL, as well as present camouflage methods that can be used in more extensive or unresponsive cases.

What's New in Therapy for Male Androgenetic Alopecia?

Male androgenetic alopecia is a common condition and represents a major concern for patients who experience this condition. While there are different treatments to stop hair loss and improve hair density, the 5-alpha reductase inhibitors have demonstrated to be effective in improving androgenetic alopecia in men and can maintain a positive response for many years. Oral finasteride 1 mg is a US FDA-approved option, but dutasteride 0.5 mg has been proven to induce better responses, especially in the frontal area. Both have been shown to be safe in clinical trials but there is widespread concern about sexual adverse effects among patients. The use of topical finasteride has increased during the last few years as a useful option to avoid systemic therapy. The efficacy of topical finasteride 0.25% daily has been demonstrated in clinical trials, with a less marked decrease in serum dihydrotestosterone levels than with oral intake. Mesotherapy with dutasteride has also become more widespread recently, although evidence of its effectiveness is limited to retrospective studies in real clinical practice. The use of oral minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia has not been approved by the FDA, however several clinical studies have shown that it is an effective treatment option. The initial dose recommended to treat male hair loss is 2.5 mg daily, although the dose is frequently increased to 5 mg daily. The main adverse effect of oral minoxidil is hypertrichosis, followed by dizziness or lower limb edema, which are much less common. Platelet-rich plasma is a non-pharmacological option to treat male androgenetic alopecia, with some clinical trials demonstrating an improvement in hair count after several months. Among the published studies, the main limitation to compare its efficacy is the heterogeneity of the procedure. The most frequent regimens propose treatment every 4 weeks for 3 months initially to assess the individual response. Another treatment alternative is the use of light devices with wavelengths of between 630 and 660 nm, known as low-level laser therapy. These devices can be used at home every day for 15-30 min. Their efficacy has been shown in a limited number of clinical trials; however, there is a lack of evidence about the efficacy of these devices compared with other medical options or as a complementary therapy in hair loss. The pipeline of potential new treatments for male androgenetic alopecia is strong. Pyrilutamide and GT20029 are being studied as topical antagonists of the androgen receptor, while cetirizine is another topical option with some initial promising results. Furthermore, according to isolated studies with heterogeneous treatment schemes, the use of botulinum toxin in the scalp might improve androgenetic alopecia, and lastly, scalp threading might increase the total hair count as growth factors are released during implantation.

Minimally invasive procedures for the management of female pattern hair loss

BACKGROUND

Female Pattern Hair Loss (FPHL) is one of the most common types of hair loss in women. It is characterized by progressive follicular miniaturization leading to diffuse hair thinning over the midfrontal scalp with a negative impact on quality of life. Pharmacological treatments are commonly used, and hair follicle transplantation is an option for those cases with adequate donor area. Minimally invasive procedures, such as microneedling, mesotherapy, microinfusion of drugs into the scalp with tattoo machines (MMP®), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have been reported as adjuvant treatments.

AIMS

This study aims to summarize and discuss the efficacy of minimally invasive procedures described for the management of FPHL.

METHODS

Published articles indexed on the Pubmed database and Scopus that described minimally invasive procedures for the management of FPHL in humans were considered. Citations were reviewed and added for completeness. The search was for articles in English only. After excluding duplicate titles, 23 relevant articles were considered.

CONCLUSION

Minimally invasive procedures are promising options and may play a role in FPHL treatment. They can be used as adjunctive therapy for FPHL, in case of poor response to clinical therapy, or when patients prefer other care than the standard. We reinforce that these methods should be performed by an experienced medical professional following strict aseptic techniques. However, microneedling, mesotherapy, MMP, and PRP lack standardization and are supported by a low level of evidence yet. For the future, larger randomized clinical trials are essential to determine the efficacy and optimal protocols for these treatments.