The Efficacy and Safety of Ablative Fractional CO <sub>2</sub> Laser Combined With Topical Minoxidil for Male Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomized Clinical Trial

January 2026 in “ Dermatologic Therapy ”

Xu Zhao, Lin Peng, Fanjun Xu, Yu Han, L.-H. Li, Lili Zhang, Liangliang Shen, Shuo Lou, Miao Jiang

This randomized clinical trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of combining ablative fractional CO<sub>2</sub> laser with topical minoxidil for treating male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in 178 male patients. Participants were divided into two groups: one receiving the combination therapy and the other receiving only minoxidil. After 24 weeks, 156 patients completed the study. The combination therapy group showed significant improvements in terminal hair density, diameter, and patient satisfaction compared to the monotherapy group, with all results being statistically significant (p < 0.001). Trichoscopic analysis also indicated better outcomes in hair density diversity and other hair characteristics for the combination group (p < 0.025). No serious adverse events were reported, suggesting that the combination therapy is more effective and has a similar safety profile compared to minoxidil alone.

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