July 1996 in “Annals of Internal Medicine” Long-term high-dose fluconazole can cause reversible hair loss.
September 2010 in “European Urology Supplements” Higher urethral PSA levels after prostate removal surgery may be linked to more hair loss and higher PSA levels post-surgery.
Finasteride is a safe and effective long-term treatment for male hair loss, especially when started early.
25 citations
,
December 2017 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism” Birth control pills combined with bicalutamide are more effective at reducing excessive hair growth in women with PCOS than birth control pills alone.
7 citations
,
January 2018 in “Medicinski arhiv” A herbal extract may help treat certain types of hair loss by reducing a specific gene's activity.
50 citations
,
April 2000 in “Fertility and Sterility” Diane 35 plus finasteride is more effective in reducing hair growth and androgen levels, but may decrease libido.
30 citations
,
November 2013 in “PLOS ONE” Androgen receptor signaling causes early aging of cells important for hair growth by damaging their DNA.
18 citations
,
March 2019 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” Finasteride use doesn't cause sexual dysfunction in men with hair loss.
17 citations
,
March 2020 in “Frontiers in Chemistry” Compounds from the plant Mammea siamensis may help treat hair loss.
7 citations
,
February 2004 in “Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology” Finasteride, often used for hair loss, can potentially cause cataracts.
1 citations
,
August 2020 in “IntechOpen eBooks” Old drugs like finasteride and spironolactone are being successfully used for hair loss and skin conditions, and many other drugs show promise for new uses in dermatology.
52 citations
,
June 1999 in “Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America” Antiandrogen treatments combined with oral contraceptives can help manage hair growth and hair loss in women with PCOS.
May 2017 in “Urology and andrology” Finasteride and dutasteride, used for prostate issues and hair loss, can cause side effects like sexual dysfunction and mental issues, which may continue even after stopping the medication, a condition called post-finasteride syndrome, for which there's currently no cure.
134 citations
,
February 2005 in “Neuropsychopharmacology” GABRA2 gene variations impact alcohol response, and hair loss medication finasteride reduces some effects.
43 citations
,
May 1986 in “Clinics in Endocrinology and Metabolism” Cyproterone acetate is effective for treating hirsutism and acne but less so for hair loss, with side effects similar to birth control pills.
39 citations
,
January 2019 in “Journal of Dermatological Treatment” Ketoconazole cream is effective for skin conditions like seborrheic dermatitis and may help with hair loss and other skin issues, with generally mild side effects.
11 citations
,
August 1997 in “Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents” Many potential alopecia treatments need more testing to confirm they promote acceptable hair growth with minimal side effects.
8 citations
,
March 2020 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” Researchers created immortal human skin cells with constant testosterone receptor activity to study hair loss and test treatments.
40 citations
,
November 2020 in “JAMA Dermatology” Finasteride may cause suicidal thoughts and mental side effects, especially in young people with hair loss.
22 citations
,
August 2009 in “Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine” The composition with carnitine, thioctic acid, and saw palmetto extract may effectively reduce inflammation in hair follicle cells.
6 citations
,
May 2020 in “JAMA Ophthalmology” Using 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, drugs for prostate issues and hair loss, may lead to eye abnormalities in men.
2 citations
,
October 2020 in “International Journal of Dermatology” Lichen planopilaris in men often involves scalp redness and itching, with some also having hair loss, mucosal lichen planus, or thyroid disease, and treatment improved symptoms in nearly half of the cases.
2 citations
,
February 2004 in “Biopolymers” 4-(4-Phenoxybenzoyl)benzoic acid derivatives can both increase and decrease certain types of reactive oxygen species, and may be relevant to hair loss.
2 citations
,
October 1998 in “Family Practice” New oral treatment, finasteride, effectively and safely treats common hair loss.
1 citations
,
April 2025 in “Pediatria i Medycyna Rodzinna” Restoring EDA and WNT pathways early may help improve skin, hair, and teeth issues in hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia.
Saw palmetto is not proven to improve urinary flow, prostate size, or hair loss.
19 citations
,
April 2015 in “European Journal of Pharmacology” Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) doesn't affect rat skin cell growth, but it does change cell cycle, protein levels, and other cell functions, potentially shortening hair growth cycle.
75 citations
,
March 1999 in “Fertility and sterility” Finasteride, CPA, and flutamide are all equally effective in reducing excessive hair growth in women.
23 citations
,
February 2004 in “Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology” A boy with chromosome 13q deletion syndrome developed eye cancer, a woman with breast cancer lost vision due to a rare side-effect of her treatment, a man's vision worsened after using a hair loss drug, and two rare disorders were discussed. Optical Coherence Tomography is useful for diagnosing and monitoring these conditions.
14 citations
,
April 2021 in “Biology” Thai rice bran extracts, especially from Tubtim Chumphae rice, can significantly reduce the activity of hair loss genes, with x-tocopherol showing potential as an anti-hair loss product.