The efficacy of topical cetirizine using microneedling in androgenetic alopecia male patients.

BACKGROUND

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) affects both sexes equally and lasts long. AGA is the most common kind of hair loss in men. Gradual, pattern-based hair thinning on the scalp is a hallmark of the disease. The front, back, center, and sides of a man's head are the most common areas where hair thinning and loss occur.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of microneedling-administered topical cetirizine in treating androgenetic alopecia in men.

METHODS

A total of 80 AGA male patients were randomly assigned to this single-blind, parallel placebo-controlled study conducted at Beni-Suef University Hospital's Dermatology Outpatient Clinic. Researchers allocated 40 patients to undergo topical cetirizine microneedling (MN) and 40 patients to saline MN for 8 weeks.

RESULTS

In the 8th week, the cetirizine group demonstrated a greater prevalence of vellus hair (70.0%) than the saline group (30.0%), with a statistically significant difference (p-value = 0.001). The majority of patients administered cetirizine by MN exhibited enhanced hair density (80.0%) in contrast to 25.0% in the saline group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p-value = 0.001). No notable adverse effects linked to the administration of cetirizine by MN were reported.

CONCLUSION

The microneedling of 1% topical cetirizine proved efficient in promoting hair growth without problems in the treatment of male androgenetic alopecia.