Basic Research on Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) (Vol. 1) Sex Hormone & Hair Loss

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Basic Research on Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) (Vol. 1) Sex Hormone & Hair Loss

Finasteride for Women

Because androgens and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) play an important role in female androgenetic alopecia (AGA), type II 5α-reductase inhibitors may work effectively in the treatment of female AGA.

In the clinical trials, however, finasteride did not show significant efficacy against female pattern hair loss.

However, there still remain some possibilities for the effectiveness of finasteride on female AGA in premenopausal women. Finasteride may also be effective for women with hyperandrogenemia without chronic telogen effluvium, if the woman does not have the possibility of pregnancy of a male fetus.

As far as DHT suppression is concerned, the dual inhibitors of type I and type II 5α-reductase may also be effective in the treatment of AGA in women.

According to the experiences of the author, finasteride is effective in increasing the hair thickness of some specific women suffering from female pattern baldness in the premenopausal and even postmenopausal periods (unpublished personal data).

If someone asks the author whether finasteride works for hair loss in women, the author’s answer would be yes.

The use of finasteride for women who suffer from hair loss is worth a try, in the author’s opinion, as long as the woman promises not to get pregnant.　

Basic Research on AGA (Vol. 1)
Sex Hormone, Summary

The relationship between sex hormones and male and female AGA was discussed in this chapter.

Knowledge of the effects of sex hormones on hair loss will help us with a basic understanding and treatment of AGA in men and women.

References

Olsen Elise A.: Disorders of Hair Growth. Diagnosis and Treatment, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, Medical Pub, NY. 2003.

Shapiro Jerry: Hair Loss: Principles of Diagnosis and Management of Alopecia, 1st ed. Martin Dunitz, London. 2002.

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Kuniyoshi YAGYU, MD

General Manager, Ginza HS Clinic (current position) | Director, Ginza HS Clinic (current position) | Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Medical School.
Doctor of Medicine.

The 24th President of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), a Board of Governors of the Asian Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons (AAHRS), a Fellow of the ISHRS, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABHRS).

He has received many awards for his outstanding achievements in hair transplantation, including “Research Award” and “Special Achievement Award” from the ISHRS, “Mediterranean Award”, “Tiberio Award” and “Caesar Award” from the Italian Society for Hair Science and Restoration, and “Hirayama Award” from the Japan Society of Clinical Hair Restoration.

He is a certified registered physician of the Japan Surgical Society, an Honorary Fellow of cardiovascular surgery of the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery, a Fellow of the Japanese Circulation Society, and a Fellow of the Japanese Respiratory Society.

He served as a director of cardiovascular surgery at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, Medical School. He studied at the Hannover Medical School in the Federal Republic of Germany on a scholarship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Kuniyoshi Yagyu, MD, FISHRS. He served as the President of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery from 2015 to 2016. He is a board member of the Asian Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery and a Winner of the ISHRS Research Award in 2010, and ISHRS Poster Award in 2014. He has authored more than 53 research and clinical publications in books and journals. He had been specialized in cardiac surgery for 22 years. He has been practicing hair transplantation for about 20 years in Tokyo, Japan.