Efficacy and safety of combination therapy of topical 17 α-estradiol and topical minoxidil on female pattern hair loss: a prospective study

Background: Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) has replaced androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in women and is being widely used in the recent years. The most common differential diagnosis is chronic telogen effluvium. The prevalence of the FPHL might be still lower in the Asian people. Proper data are not available from the Indian subcontinent. Medical therapy should be started as soon as possible since it effectively stops hair loss rather than boosting regrowth. Minoxidil remains the first-line treatment, while anti-androgens are the second-line treatment. The goal of this study was to see if a combined medication of topical 17α-stradiol and minoxidil may help patients with FPHL in Northern India. Material and methods: This study was conducted at Department of Skin and VD, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Patna, during Mar 2019 to Feb 2020 i.e. 12 months on 50 patients with female pattern hair loss. Results: Studied 50 patients of FPHL in skin outpatients in a tertiary care centre and found that mean age of patients were 45.25±15.98 years and maximum patients belong to age group 20-30 years i.e. 24 (48%). Most commonly observed adverse effect was pain (04%) followed by fever, Folliulitis, itching & seborrheic dermatitis i.e. 02%. Conclusion: Despite the study's limitations, we discovered that a combination of topical 0.025 percent 17α-stradiol and topical 3 percent minoxidil exhibited clear clinical effectiveness. As a result, this combination therapy for FPHL is an effective and safe therapeutic option that may be implemented quickly in a clinical context.