Although the association of the psychological problems and androgenetic alopecia (AGA) gained the increasing attention, the psychosocial state in college students with AGA remains unknown. We recruited a total number of 355 college students with AGA from 18 universities in Southern China for interview. The Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) survey was used to assess the psychological state of these students. There were significant differences in somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, phobic anxiety, psychoticism, and global severity index (GSI) between college students with AGA and the controls. Moreover, regarding the impact of specialty, scores for the interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and phobic anxiety in medical students and art students with AGA were significantly higher than other professions. In addition, obsessive-compulsive and GSI in art students with AGA were significantly higher compared with other professions. These findings suggested that the therapeutic approach for the psychological problems should be considered in the tailored treatment for AGA in the college students.

Although more than three decades have passed since the first use of minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia (AGA), its mechanisms of action have still not been comprehensively understood. 5α-reductase (5α-R) has an active role as the predominant enzyme in both AGA and female pattern hair loss (FPHL), which are also the main therapeutic indications of topical minoxidil. But there is insufficient literature data regarding the interaction of minoxidil and the enzyme 5α-R. Herein, we studied the in vitro expression levels of 5α-R type 2 (5α-R2) in a minoxidil-treated human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) in order to elucidate the relation of these two parameters. Cell proliferation assay was performed by a XTT reagent (a yellow tetrazolium salt). After determination of non-cytotoxic concentration, HaCaT cells were treated with minoxidil. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolations were carried out from both non-treated and treated cell groups using a TRI reagent (an RNA, DNA, and protein isolation reagent). Gene expressions of 5α-R2 as study material and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as the control were determined by real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis. Results were represented as 5α-R2 / GAPDH fold change. Minoxidil treatment resulted in a 0.22 fold change for 5α-R2 (p < 0.0001). This antiandrogenic effect of minoxidil, shown by significant downregulation of 5α-R2 gene expression in HaCaT cells, may be one of its mechanisms of action in alopecia.

Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common form of hair loss in Asian men. Although AGA is often regarded as a relatively minor dermatological condition, hair loss can impact self-image and is a main cause for anxiety and depression in some men. We have treated patients with AGA for seven years. Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of our combination therapy in Asian men with AGA. Participants: Between the years 2011 and 2017, 18,918 male patients were treated in our center. Our combination therapy consists of oral finasteride once daily, oral and topical minoxidil twice daily, and an injectable treatment of lidocaine and an AGA treatment solution comprising minoxidil, arginine, aspartic acid, caffeine, copper tripeptide, lysine, niacin, panthenol, propanediol, propylen glycol, retinyl palmitate, pyridoxine, sodium hyaluronate, and ubiquinone once monthly for more than six months. Measurements: Digital photographs were taken pre- and post-treatment, and patient assessments were recorded after six and 12 months post-treatment. Results: Significant improvement was observed in all patients in the digital photographs. Ninety-six and 80 percent of the patients reported satisfaction with the results of the treatment after six and 12 months post-treatment. Minor complications were observed in 802 (4.2%) patients, characterized by slight pain and bleeding due to injection, swelling, dizziness, itching, and erythema of the scalp. Slight pain was reported in 651 patients (3.4%), and slight bleeding was reported in 56 patients (0.3%). Sexual dysfunctions were uncommon. These minor complications resolved spontaneously. No treatment-related adverse events were observed. Conclusion: A combination of these therapeutic options offers safe and highly efficacious treatment for AGA with minimal complications.