Dutasteride for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia: An Updated Review

Abstract

Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common skin disease characterized by gradually miniaturized hair follicles, which manifests as progressive hair thinning and produces a bald appearance. Currently, finasteride is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of AGA, but its efficacy remains poor in some patients.

Summary: Compared to finasteride, oral dutasteride has better efficacy and similar tolerability, and most adverse events are mild and reversible, making it an effective option for AGA, but its sexual adverse events and potential psychiatric risks still need to be concerned. Mesotherapy with dutasteride and microneedling combined with dutasteride solution can reduce adverse events caused by oral medication and exhibit certain efficacy, but standardized treatment protocols and large-scale clinical trials are still needed in the future. Liposomes or nanoparticles of dutasteride are under development and may become an efficient topical formulation.

Key messages: We have summarized the efficacy and AEs of dutasteride in treating AGA under different administration methods and the promise of novel topical drug carriers.

Keywords: 5α-reductase inhibitors; Androgenetic alopecia; Dutasteride; Finasteride; Mesotherapy; Microneedling.