Oral minoxidil + finasteride for androgenetic alopecia management

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Created On: 24/07/2025

Androgenetic alopecia (AA), commonly referred to as male pattern baldness, markedly impacts psychological health and overall quality of life.

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Key take away

Oral administration of minoxidil + finasteride leads to significant hair regrowth in men with androgenetic alopecia.

Background

Androgenetic alopecia (AA), commonly referred to as male pattern baldness, markedly impacts psychological health and overall quality of life. This retrospective study aimed to: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of the oral minoxidil-finasteride therapy over a 12-month period in a real-world AA population; (2) measure the consistency between different raters using hair loss scoring tools; and (3) investigate the influence of baseline Norwood classification on treatment response and effect sizes.

Method

The study analyzed data from adult males (aged ≥18 years) treated through a UK-based digital health platform. Those with Norwood stages 2 to 7 AA who received the combination oral treatment and had both baseline and 12-month follow-up photos were incorporated.

The main outcome was the average change in hair density as rated on a 7-point clinical scale. Statistical analysis included a one-sample t-test comparing the mean change to zero, with effect sizes calculated via Cohen’s d and Hedge’s g. Inter-rater agreement was monitored via Cohen’s kappa.

Result

Among the 502 volunteers, 92.4% (n = 464) experienced either stabilization or improvement in hair density (≥0 on the 7-point scale), with 57.4% (n = 288) illustrating clear improvement (>0). The pooled mean change was 0.58, indicating remarkable improvement. Those with more advanced hair loss at baseline exhibited similar or greater gains, with effect sizes reaching about d = 1.0. Inter-rater reliability was modest (Norwood scale κ = 0.33; 7-point scale κ = 0.20), reflecting fair to slight agreement.