Scalp Acupoint Catgut Embedding Combined With Topical 5% Minoxidil Tincture to Improve Male Androgenetic Alopecia: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

    August 2025 in “ BMJ Open ”
    Yonglong Xu, Qingwu Liu, Shuying Lv, Dingquan Yang, Lei Wang
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    TLDR Combining scalp acupoint catgut embedding with 5% minoxidil may help treat male pattern baldness.
    The study protocol describes a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of combining scalp acupoint catgut embedding (ACE) with topical 5% minoxidil tincture for treating male androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Seventy male participants will be randomly assigned to either the ACE group or a sham control group, both using minoxidil, over 24 weeks. The primary outcome is the change in target area hair count (TAHC). The trial aims to provide evidence for ACE's potential benefits in AGA treatment, addressing the lack of clinical research in this area. Limitations include its single-centre design and absence of a control group receiving established treatments.
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      in Chat  7 upvotes 4 days ago
      Scalp massaging for hair loss hasn't shown significant changes yet, but the scalp is more flexible. Combining treatments like minoxidil, tretinoin, dutasteride, inversion, microneedling, and a good diet might enhance results.

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      in Minoxidil  1 upvotes 1 week ago
      The user experienced hair regrowth using a combination of finasteride and minoxidil, but had to stop due to liver issues and switched to dutasteride. After resuming dutasteride and minoxidil, they faced absorption issues with minoxidil and sought advice on improving absorption.

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      in Chat  1 upvotes 2 weeks ago
      Hair loss was triggered by a testosterone and Masteron cycle, causing scalp tension and shedding. Topical finasteride, RU58841, and oral minoxidil were used to stop shedding and improve scalp condition.

      community Scalp Psoriasis and Fin/Min options?

      in Treatment  3 upvotes 1 month ago
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      community Scalp Massages /scalp hair oiling effective??

      in Research/Science  6 upvotes 3 months ago
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