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Choosing oral or topical Minoxidil for male-pattern hair loss narrows down to preference as both have similar effectiveness.
Daily use of oral Minoxidil 5 mg was found to have similar benefits to twice-daily application of topical Minoxidil 5% therapy for male pattern baldness, medically called male androgenetic alopecia (AGA), a recent randomized trial steered in Brazil demonstrated.
Over 24 weeks, 68 men in the age group of 18 to 55 years, categorized as per the Norwood-Hamilton scale (3Vertex, 4Vertex, or 5Vertex), participated in the study. This research, published in JAMA Dermatology, intended to address the effectiveness of oral Minoxidil in low doses as a potential treatment for male AGA. Despite prior optimism, the findings underscore the need for comparative therapeutic trials to assess the efficacy of oral Minoxidil thoroughly.
Participants were divided into two groups: one receiving daily oral Minoxidil alongside a topical placebo solution (33 people), and the other applying 1 mL of topical Minoxidil twice daily with an oral placebo (35 people). Both groups were closely observed for differences in terminal hair density on different scalp areas (frontal and vertex), as well as overall hair density (measured as hair per square inch or hair per square centimetre).
Remarkably, the results revealed no noteworthy difference between the two treatment approaches. While there was a slight advantage observed with oral Minoxidil concerning terminal hair density on the vertex scalp (24%; 95% CI, 0 to 48; P = .04), it did not hold for the frontal scalp (12%; 95% CI, −12 to 36). Adverse effects were also noted during the study, with hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth) and headache being the most common side effects reported among participants receiving oral Minoxidil, noted the trial investigators.
JAMA Dermatology
Oral Minoxidil vs Topical Minoxidil for Male Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Mariana Alvares Penha et al.
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