ABSTRACT
Androgenetic alopecia is the single most frequent cause of hair loss in both sexes. Androgenetic alopecia affects approximately 50% of men by the age of 50 years and up to 70% of all males in later life. Physicians should recognize that alopecia goes well beyond the simple physical aspects of hair loss. The diagnosis and treatment of male pattern androgenetic alopecia are relatively straightforward and easy, with 5% topical minoxidil b.i.d. and 1 mg oral finasteride in men having excellent evidence levels for their therapeutic use. Minoxidil promotes hair growth through increasing the duration of anagen. It causes hair follicles at rest to grow, and enlarges suboptimal follicles. Treatment of male androgenetic alopecia in the 18 to 20–35 to 40 years age group with oral finasteride would seem to be more reliable than topical minoxidil. In the original description of fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution, patients displayed progressive scarring alopecia in a pattern distribution.
