5 mg of oral minoxidil : How well does it work?
A Closer Look at the 2020 Panchaprateep et al. Study
A 2020 study is important to be take note. It is among the most widely referenced studies of the effectiveness of oral minoxidil in males.
The study was a prospective study of 30 men aged 24-59 with AGA. It was not a randomized controlled trial so we need to keep this in mind as we review the study. Oral minoxidil was given as 5 mg once daily for 24 weeks
The efficacy of oral minoxidil was evaluated via
a) Hair counts
b) Hair diameter
c) Photographs
d) Self administered and physician based assessments of improvement
Results
There was a significant increase in total and non-vellus hair counts at weeks 12 and 24
Total hair counts increased 19.23 % at week 24. Non-vellus hair counts: 23.57 % week 24. There was also an increase in hair diameter by 15.21% by week 24
The following are the clinician assessments of improvement (done by blinded dermatologists)
Reference
Panchaprateep et al. Efficacy and Safety of Oral Minoxidil 5 mg Once Daily in the Treatment of Male Patients with Androgenetic Alopecia: An Open-Label and Global Photographic Assessment. Dermatol Ther. 2020 Dec;10(6):1345-1357
This article was written by Dr. Jeff Donovan, a Canadian and US board certified dermatologist specializing exclusively in hair loss.