Low-dose oral minoxidil as treatment for non-scarring alopecia: a systematic review.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Topical minoxidil has been used for almost 40 years to treat alopecia. There is growing evidence supporting off-label use of low-dose oral minoxidil.

OBJECTIVE:

To conduct a systematic review evaluating the use of oral minoxidil for all types of alopecia.

METHODS:

A primary literature search was conducted using PubMed in May 2019, utilizing the search term "oral minoxidil AND (hair loss OR alopecia OR baldness)". Reviews, non-English studies, and articles concerning only topical minoxidil were excluded.

RESULTS:

Ten articles were included for review comprising a total 19,218 patients (215 women and 19,003 men). Oral minoxidil dose ranged from 0.25 to 5 mg daily to twice daily. The strongest evidence existed for androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata (AA), with 61-100% and 18-82.4% of patients demonstrating objective clinical improvement. Successful treatment of female pattern hair loss, chronic telogen effluvium, monilethrix, and permanent chemotherapy-induced alopecia was also reported. The most common adverse effects with oral minoxidil included hypertrichosis and postural hypotension.

CONCLUSION:

Oral minoxidil is a safe and successful treatment of androgenic alopecia and AA. In addition to its therapeutic benefits, practical advantages over topical minoxidil stem from improved patient compliance.

• Authors: Ajay N Sharma, Lauren Michelle, Margit Juhasz, Paulo Muller Ramos, Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska
• Journal: International journal of dermatology (Int J Dermatol) Vol. 59 Issue 8 Pg. 1013-1019 (Aug 2020) ISSN: 1365-4632 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 32516434 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Systematic Review)
• Copyright: © 2020 the International Society of Dermatology.

Chemical References

• Minoxidil

Topics

• Administration, Topical
• Alopecia (drug therapy)
• Alopecia Areata
• Female
• Humans
• Hypertrichosis
• Male
• Minoxidil (adverse effects)
• Treatment Outcome