hair loss case study

Treatment of Female Pattern Hair Loss With A Combination of Spironolactone and Minoxidil I want to thank Kate for emailing me this Case Report about the use of spironolactone and minoxidil in treating female pattern hair loss. The Case Report appeared in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology Volume 48 Issue 1 Page 43-45, February 2007

CASE REPORT

Treatment of female pattern hair loss with a combination of spironolactone and minoxidil

Carlijn Hoedemaker, Sylvia van Egmond and Rodney Sinclair

Department of Dermatology, St Vincent’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, and Department of Medicine and Skin and Cancer Foundation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Summary

A 53-year-old woman with clinical evidence of female pattern hair loss and histological evidence of androgenetic alopecia was initially treated with the oral antiandrogen spironolactone 200 mg daily. Serial scalp photography documented hair regrowth at 12 months; however, the hair regrowth plateaued, and at 24 months there had been no further improvement in hair density. Twice daily therapy with topical minoxidil 5% solution was then introduced and further regrowth documented, confirming the additive effect of combination therapy.

Introduction

Female pattern hair loss is a common, psychologically distressing, age-related, androgen-mediated condition that presents with increased hair shedding and reduction in hair volume over the mid-frontal scalp.1

Binding of dihydrotestosterone to cellular androgen receptors induces susceptible scalp hairs to undergo a progressive and orderly transition from terminal to vellus hairs to produce patterned baldness. Antiandrogen therapy with either spironolactone or cyproterone acetate is commonly used to treat FPHL, as is topical minoxidil.2 The mechanism of action of minoxidil is unknown, but does not involve androgen pathways.3 The use of topical minoxidil together with an oral antiandrogen might have an additive effect; however, combination therapy has not been previously reported. [click to continue…]

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