These data provide direct evidence that finasteride 1 mg daily promotes the conversion of hairs into the anagen phase. These data support that finasteride treatment results in favourable effects on hair quality that contribute to the visible improvements in hair growth observed in treated patients.
Background: Male baldness develops because of an increased duration of the lag phase. Objective and Methods: To assess if this occurs also in balding women we studied 2 women with Ludwig type I–II patterned baldness for 2 years with monthly phototrichograms. Hairs were identified as thick anagen hairs, thin anagen hairs and telogen hairs. Results and Conclusions: Most of the hairs followed the expected development, namely they remained thick anagen hairs or they became thick from thin anagen, telogen from thick anagen or thin anagen from telogen hairs. Other hairs, though, became thin from thick anagen or telogen from thin anagen or thick anagen from telogen hairs. Still others did not regrow immediately after being in the telogen phase, leaving an empty space. Some empty spaces were not refilled for a long time. As in men, in balding women tiny bald spots develop corresponding to telogen hairs not replaced in due time.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.