Oral 1-mg finasteride and 5% topical minoxidil are currently widely used to treat androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in men.^1,2 Although the finasteride-minoxidil association has not been widely tested in humans,³ results in animal models suggest that the combination of the 2 treatments may be more effective in inducing hair regrowth than either treatment alone.⁴

Until a few years ago topical minoxidil was the only effective treatment available for AGA. Since the introduction of finasteride, increasing numbers of patients have switched from minoxidil to finasteride because the oral treatment is easier to manage than topical application.

Interruption of minoxidil treatment is well known to induce telogen effluvium because the follicles phase simultaneously to telogen, having prolonged their anagen growth under the effect of minoxidil. This often produces severe hair loss with obvious thinning.