Effectiveness of combined topical ethinylestradiol and minoxidil versus minoxidil alone in treating female pattern hair loss

Abstract

Background: Trichoscopy is an effective tool in establishing the diagnosis of female pattern hair loss and a scalp biopsy is seldom needed to validate the diagnosis. Aim: We sought to determine effectiveness and safety of combination therapy of topical ethinylestradiol 0.01% and minoxidil 2% versus topical minoxidil 2% alone in female pattern hair loss therapy. Methods: This randomized comparative clinical trial is a clinical trial carried out on 43 female patients, aged from 18 to 55 years, suffered from female pattern hair loss of Ludwig grade I-II-III. Patients who met the criteria were split into two groups at random using the closed-envelop technique: Group A (EMX) included 22 participants who put a topical solution of minoxidil 2% mixed with ethinylestradiol 0.01% for 24 weeks. Group B (MX) included 21 participants who applied topical minoxidil 2% solution only for 24 weeks. Results: At end of study period, there was no significant correlation between trichoscopic changes and disease duration in both groups. Relation between changes in frontal region and disease disease severity within EMX group was no statistical significance in both groups. Conclusions: Both study preparations (ethinylestradiol 0.01% mixed with minoxidil 2% and minoxidil 2% alone) were almost equally effective in enhancement of hair growth in female pattern hair loss with superiority of the minoxidil only preparation regarding tolerability with less side effects during the treatment duration.