Can Spironolactone Help Treat Female Pattern Hair Loss?

Adel

Question: Does spironolactone help with female pattern hair loss?

Answer: Hi, Adel. There is only one treatment for genetic hair loss in women which is clinically-proven and approved by both the UK and US medical regulatory boards, the MHRA and the FDA. This is minoxidil, which has a history of providing hair growth results and boasts a minimal potential side effect profile.

Spironolactone is a diuretic that is more commonly taken in pill form for the treatment of hirsutism (excessive hair growth) and acne. It is also understood to inhibit the formation of dihydrotestosterone, known as DHT, the hormone which causes thinning hair in cases of Female Pattern Hair Loss.

According to a Feburary 2017 review of Hormonal therapy in female pattern hair loss published in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology, one retrospective study showed that almost 75 per cent of women with female pattern hair loss found spironolactone to show 'stabilization or improvement' at 100- to 200-mg daily doses. However, at present, various previous clinical trials investigating the use of spironolactone as a treatment for female hair loss have either been withdrawn or the results have not been published.

The main concern regarding the use of spironolactone - aside from the fact that it is not a medically approved hair loss product - are the side effects associated with its use. These range from having to urinate more frequently (given that the drug is a diuretic), dehydration, dizziness, breast swelling and mild low blood pressure, to far more serious issues. The most serious is the increased risk of developing high potassium levels, a condition known as hyperkalemia which can be life-threatening in severe cases. Spironolactone is also linked to a greater susceptibility to gastrointestinal problems including vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as having a suspected link to bleeding from the stomach and duodenum.

As spironolactone is not sufficiently proven in relation to treating thinning hair - either in pill or cream formats - and comes with a host of potential side effects we would not recommend this hair loss product. Especially not when effective, medically-proven alternatives exist.

At Belgravia we recommend personalised hair loss treatment courses featuring appropriate formulations of high strength minoxidil to women experiencing genetic thinning. The reason for this is that the drug has been clinically tested for safety, efficacy and tolerability, and our experts have continually seen significant regrowth results from taking this approach to women's hairloss.

Additional hair growth boosters are also used regularly alongside regular high strength minoxidil applications, to complement this non-invasive regime. These include a handheld LaserComb device which is brushed through the hair to stimulate the follicles, to taking Belgravia's exclusive, highly-targeted hair growth supplement Hair Vitalics for Women. This contains premium quality vitamins, minerals, amino acids and botanical extracts identified and chosen for their ability to maximise the hair's potential. More than just a nutritional support, Hair Vitalics for Women also contains the soy isoflavones genistein and daidzen, which have been shown to reduce levels of DHT in the bloodstream.