Current management of androgenetic alopecia in men

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common dermatological condition affecting both men and women. Until recently there has been little interest in AGA as a clinical condition, largely due to the lack: of any genuinely effective treatment for it. A number of "remedies" exist, such as vitamin supplements , which are not generally harmful but which have no proven efficacy in prom oting hair growth or preventing further hair loss. Hair systems and surgery provide camouflage for the symptoms but do not effect a cure. By far the m ost promising approaches to the treatment of ACA are drug therapies, such a s minoxidil and finasteride. Finasteride, an inhibitor of the type II Sa-re ductase that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, has been shown t o prevent further hair loss, and promotes new hair growth in the majority o f the men taking part in clinical trials. Tailored drug approaches like thi s offer the greatest hope for the successful future treatment of AGA.