Finasteride May Treat Hair Loss in Women

This story comes from BBC News:

A drug used to treat male baldness could also help women with thinning hair, an Italian study suggests.

The researchers said the Archives of Dermatology findings showed finasteride could be used for those who could not use the standard lotion treatment. (link)

First and foremost it should be noted that finasteride is known to cause birth defects. (Now you know why the TV commercials say women shouldn’t touch the pills.)

Also, this research is far from conclusive. First, there were only 37 individuals in the study, barely a minimum sample size if I remember my statistics correctly. Second, because of the birth defect risk the women were also given a contraceptive, which reduced levels of male hormones and might in itself have had an impact on hair loss.

So, this isn’t earth shattering stuff, but I think it’s worth mentioning.