Investigation of oral finasteride enhanced occipital hair diameter index in different types of male androgenetic alopecia

To the Editor: Although androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in men typically presents with bitemporal recession and vertex balding, referred to as male pattern hair loss (MPHL), 3.9% of Australian and 11.1% of Korean men with AGA suffer from “female pattern hair loss (FPHL)” characterized by diffuse thinning of the central scalp with a preserved hairline. 1 Kerkemeyer K.L. Poa J.E. Trindade de Carvalho L. et al. Development and initial validation of a modified Sinclair scale for female pattern hair loss in men. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022; 86: 1406-1408 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2) Google Scholar ,2 Gupta A.K. Mays R.R. Dotzert M.S. Versteeg S.G. Shear N.H. Piguet V. Efficacy of non-surgical treatments for androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2018; 32: 2112-2125 Crossref PubMed Scopus (57) Google Scholar Recent studies have shown that both MPHL and FPHL can impact occipital hair that is historically considered to be unaffected by AGA, 3 Khunkhet S. Chanprapaph K. Rutnin S. Suchonwanit P. Histopathological evidence of occipital involvement in male androgenetic alopecia. Front Med. 2021; 8790597 Crossref Scopus (8) Google Scholar ,4 Ekmekci T.R. Sakiz D. Koslu A. Occipital involvement in female pattern hair loss: histopathological evidences. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2010; 24: 299-301 Crossref PubMed Scopus (24) Google Scholar thus warranting investigation into the efficacy of alopecia medication such as finasteride within this unexplored area.