Combining topical minoxidil with procapil; an assessment of their comparative efficacy in androgenetic alopecia: A randomized control trail

Abstract

Introduction Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a commonly prevalent form of non-scarring alopecia mostly involving men. It involves 50% of men, and the prevalence increases with age. Its scalp involvement ranges from mild (I) to severe (VII) based on the Norwood scoring system. Multiple modalities have been tried for its treatment, including oral and topical minoxidil and finasteride. These treatment modalities have been successful in treating androgenetic alopecia up to a certain extent but are also associated with adverse effects. Very few studies are available on the efficacy of topical procapil, and none have compared it with minoxidil on a head to-head basis. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of procapil in combination with minoxidil vs. minoxidil alone in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.   Methods Using randomized sampling technique, 140 patients were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups, with 70 patients in each group. One-half of the patients used 5% minoxidil on a twice-daily basis (Group A), while the other half used procapil 5% alternated with minoxidil for 12 months (Group B). Both subjective and objective assessment tools were for hair regrowth evaluation in the form of an increase in the mean hair count as well as patients’ satisfaction and dermatologist assessment scores.   Results The mean age was 32.6±6.7 and 31.5±7.4 years in groups A and B, respectively. The baseline line hair count and grads of AA were also comparable in both groups. As compared to minoxidil alone, the combination therapy showed better results in terms of an increase in hair count (p value=0.0001), Patient satisfaction (p value=0.011), and Dermatologist assessment scores (p value=0.0054).   Conclusion The addition of procapil to minoxidil is more efficacious than minoxidil alone for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.