Effective treatment of female androgenic alopecia with dutasteride

Dihydrotestosterone is the main molecule responsible for androgenic alopecia. Finasteride, which reduces transformation of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone and decreases dihydrotestosterone activity, is approved for treatment of androgenic alopecia in men. We describe the case of a 46-year-old woman with androgenic alopecia, non-responsive to minoxidil, who initially benefited from finasteride. Due to only limited improvement after finasteride and persisting profound psychological distress resulting from androgenic alopecia, another 5-reductase inhibitor, dutasteride, was introduced. Clinical evaluation and trichogram were applied for assessment of dutasteride efficacy in this patient. Additionally, mean hair diameter was monitored by means of computer dermoscopy. After 6 months of therapy, significant improvement was observed and after 9 months the clinical diagnosis of androgenic alopecia could no longer be made in this patient. No side effects were observed. In conclusion, theoretical data and our experience in this case show that dutasteride might develop into a true alternative in treatment of androgenic alopecia.