Adult males aged 18 years or older with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia (Hamilton-Norwood IIv–V) who have not achieved adequate response after an initial course of monotherapy assessed at 6 months.
The initial treatment used either topical Minoxidil or oral Finasteride as a single agent. After 6 months, neither of the two required goals was met: hair loss had not stopped and measurable hair regrowth (increased hair count) had not been induced. This failure of monotherapy is the clinical trigger for moving to the next step.
When a single agent proves insufficient, evidence supports pairing the two modalities that were each trialled separately in the first line. The complete selection criteria, monitoring schedule, and full protocol details are available via the link below.
Because androgenetic alopecia is a naturally progressive condition, therapy targets two outcomes: stopping further hair loss and inducing hair regrowth with a measurable increase in hair count.
DOI: 10.1111/jdv.14624
Topical Minoxidil 2–5% solution 1 mL or half a cap of 5% foam twice daily is recommended to improve or to prevent progression of AGA in male patients above 18 years with mild to moderate AGA (Hamilton-Norwood IIv-V).
Oral Finasteride 1 mg/day is recommended to improve or to prevent progression of AGA in male patients above 18 years with mild to moderate AGA (Hamilton-Norwood IIv-V).
For greater efficacy the combination of oral finasteride 1 mg, 1×/d and topical Minoxidil 2–5% solution or 5% foam 2×/d can be considered.
As AGA is a naturally progressive disease, therapy can have two required outcomes, namely stop of hair loss and induction of hair regrowth.