SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Dermatology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1638496
This article is part of the Research TopicUpdate in Trichology and Hair TransplantationView all articles
Relative efficacy of minoxidil in combination with other treatments for androgenic alopecia: a network meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials
Provisionally accepted
- 1Chongqing University FuLing Hospital, Chongqing, China
- 2The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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Background: Androgenetic alopecia is the most prevalent form of progressive hair loss. Minoxidil is widely regarded as a standard treatment for this condition. Consequently, we assessed the effectiveness of minoxidil in combination with other pharmacological agents for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across four databases—PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library—on December 10, 2024. Eligible studies were selected based on the PICOS framework. Data extraction and synthesis were carried out using a Bayesian network meta-analysis, focusing on mean difference and sample size data. League tables and Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking (SUCRA) values were employed to evaluate the relative efficacy of the interventions. 2 Results: Results: Among the 20 study groups analyzed, the combination of platelet-rich plasma and basic fibroblast growth factor with minoxidil demonstrated the highest overall efficacy (SUCRA = 93.06%). This combination resulted in a mean increase in hair density of 35.12 hairs/cm² compared to the group treated with minoxidil alone. In male subgroups, finasteride combined with minoxidil was the most effective treatment (SUCRA=80.18%). Among seven combination therapies for females, microneedle with minoxidil proved most effective (SUCRA=87.18%). Conclusions: This study establishes a clinically actionable hierarchy of minoxidil-based combination therapies, providing evidence-based guidance for dermatologists to optimize androgenetic alopecia management.
Keywords: Androgenic alopecia, Minoxidil, Minoxidil combination therapy, male pattern hair loss, Female pattern hair loss
Received: 30 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 xia, Chen, Ping and chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: yong zhi chen, Chongqing University FuLing Hospital, Chongqing, China
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