Quality of Life and Patient-Reported Side Effects of Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil in Treating Female Pattern Hair Loss

December 2026 in “ PubMed ”

Divija Sharma, Lillian Mo, Deep Patel, Austin J. Piontkowski, Candice Medina, Kelly Hawkins, Neda Shokrian, Benjamin Ungar

low-dose oral minoxidil female pattern hair loss unwanted hair growth LDOM FPHL

TLDR Low-dose oral minoxidil improves hair loss and quality of life for women, despite mild side effects.

A study involving 102 women with female pattern hair loss (FPHL) assessed the impact of low-dose oral minoxidil (LDOM) on quality of life and side effects. Over a median of 12 months, hair loss severity improved significantly, and quality of life scores increased from 67 to 39. Although 71.6% of participants experienced unwanted hair growth, primarily on the face, arms, and legs, 93.2% did not find it a reason to stop treatment, as most cases were mild or moderate. The study concludes that LDOM offers clinical and quality of life improvements, presenting a favorable treatment option for FPHL.

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