Male pattern baldness

Background. Male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in men, o ccurs with varying severity and age of onset. Two new treatments widely ava ilable as alternatives to 2% minoxidil are 1 mg finasteride and topical 5% minoxidil. Finasteride is a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor available by prescr iption only; 5% minoxidil is available over the counter. Methods. We searched MEDLINE to identify all articles on AGA and its pharma cologic therapies. Results. We found limited information on AGA in peer review medical journal s. Associated diseases include psychologic disorders and coronary heart dis ease. Hair growth is unpredictable and limited for all pharmacologic therap ies, with the vast majority of treatment studies being industry sponsored. Conclusion, AGA. is not easy to treat. Finasteride and 5% minoxidil offer n ew therapeutic options to the balding man. Treatment options may improve as new drugs are further investigated.