Dermatol Ther

Novel approach boosts efficacy of topical dutasteride in treatment-resistant androgenetic alopecia

September 16, 2025

Combined skin patting and iontophoresis (SPi) enhanced local delivery of dutasteride, yielding meaningful regrowth in treatment-resistant androgenetic alopecia (AGA) without systemic side effects. While promising, these findings require validation in larger, randomized controlled trials.

Study details: This open-label, single-center pilot study evaluated 20 adults (10 males, 10 postmenopausal females) with AGA unresponsive to ≥12 months of standard therapy. Participants received four monthly sessions of 6% dutasteride gel delivered via SPi. Outcomes included hair density, shaft diameter, pull test scores, patient satisfaction, and safety, assessed at baseline and 8 weeks post-treatment.

Results: Significant improvements were observed in frontal and vertex hair density (p< 0.001), shaft diameter (vertex p<0.001; frontal p=0.046), and pull test scores (p<0.001). Mean cosmetic satisfaction was 3.4/4, and 85% of participants found the procedure pleasant. No adverse events were reported.

Source:

Cedirian S, et al. (2025, September 3). Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). Efficacy of Skin Patting and Iontophoresis with Dutasteride Gel in Male and Menopausal Female Androgenetic Alopecia: A Pilot Study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40900274/