Low-dose Oral Minoxidil in the Treatment of Alopecia: Evidence and Experience-based Consensus Statement of Indian Experts

Abstract

Alopecia is a highly prevalent condition worldwide including in India. There are different types of alopecia with differing etiology, presentation, and hence treatment. Androgenetic alopecia represents the most common form of hair loss affecting male as well as female population termed as male and female pattern hair loss, respectively. Several treatment options are available for the treatment of alopecia with often unsatisfactory results resulting in psychological distress among such patients. Topical minoxidil is known to be effective in the treatment of alopecia. However, oral minoxidil is not currently approved for the treatment of alopecia. This expert consensus is prepared to provide guidance to the clinicians regarding the use of oral minoxidil in the treatment of alopecia. Extensive literature review was performed to prepare the draft consensus which was then revised based on the suggestions and comments from the experts. The final draft was circulated to the experts for review and approval. This consensus document provides overview of evidence related to oral minoxidil and consensus from the experts for its use in the treatment of minoxidil.

Keywords: Alopecia; efficacy; female pattern hair loss; male pattern hair loss; minoxidil; tolerability.

Figure 1

Structure of minoxidil