Male Baldness Drug may Work in Women too

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A drug commonly prescribed to treat male pattern baldness may also work in women who are losing their hair, find Italian researchers.

The drug finasteride (Propecia or Proscar), which was given by mouth in combination with an oral contraceptive to prevent pregnancy because it has been linked to birth defects, led to improvement in hair loss in 62 percent of 37 women studied.

Investigators believe combining the drug with the oral contraceptive may have also increased its effectiveness because the oral contraceptive used is known to reduce the levels of male hormones implicated in hair loss.

Researchers based their findings on photo comparisons of the women's hair taken before treatment began and then again one year later along with a test that measured hair density. The women, who were between ages 19 and 50, rated their perception of improvement on a questionnaire, which revealed they actually thought the outcomes were better than the investigators.

No adverse side effects were seen in the study.

Study authors believe these results provide a basis for further study of the use of finasteride in the treatment of female pattern baldness and call for research to compare the treatment to other standard medications used for the condition. They note as many as one out of every two women will face hair loss at some point in their lives.

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SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, 2006;142:298-302