Comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low-level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for androgenic alopecia.Study design systematic review and meta-analysis.Methods An online search of PubMed, Web of Science, and MEDLINE was conducted. Randomized clinical...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Dermatological Treatment |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09546634.2024.2447355 |
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| author | Abdulmajeed Alosaimi Abdullah Algarni Abdulrahman Alharbi Abdulmalik Alotaibi Abdullah Alomairi Mohannad Alsurayhi Waleed Alharbi |
| author_facet | Abdulmajeed Alosaimi Abdullah Algarni Abdulrahman Alharbi Abdulmalik Alotaibi Abdullah Alomairi Mohannad Alsurayhi Waleed Alharbi |
| author_sort | Abdulmajeed Alosaimi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for androgenic alopecia.Study design systematic review and meta-analysis.Methods An online search of PubMed, Web of Science, and MEDLINE was conducted. Randomized clinical trials comparing minoxidil monotherapy with minoxidil and LLLT combination therapy were included based on predefined criteria. The Risk of Bias 2.0 (RoB 2.0) tool was used for quality assessment.Results From 38 identified studies, 34 remained after excluding 4 duplicates. Further exclusions left 4 eligible studies comparing minoxidil alone with minoxidil and LLLT. The meta-analysis found no statistically significant differences in hair counts between the two groups at baseline, 12 weeks, and 8 weeks post-treatment [mean difference = −0.04, 95% CI −1.22 to 1.14, p = .95, I² = 0%]. Similarly, hair diameter showed no significant differences at the same time points [mean difference = 0.00, 95% CI −0.00 to 0.00, p = .98, I² = 38%].Conclusion The combination of minoxidil and LLLT does not significantly improve outcomes compared to minoxidil alone for treating androgenic alopecia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ff389e7acd6345cf98b1279fa5213c74 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0954-6634 1471-1753 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Dermatological Treatment |
| spelling | doaj-art-ff389e7acd6345cf98b1279fa5213c742025-01-20T01:07:52ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Dermatological Treatment0954-66341471-17532025-12-0136110.1080/09546634.2024.2447355Comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low-level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysisAbdulmajeed Alosaimi0Abdullah Algarni1Abdulrahman Alharbi2Abdulmalik Alotaibi3Abdullah Alomairi4Mohannad Alsurayhi5Waleed Alharbi6College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaDermatology Department, King Fahad Hospital Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaObjective This systematic review evaluates the efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for androgenic alopecia.Study design systematic review and meta-analysis.Methods An online search of PubMed, Web of Science, and MEDLINE was conducted. Randomized clinical trials comparing minoxidil monotherapy with minoxidil and LLLT combination therapy were included based on predefined criteria. The Risk of Bias 2.0 (RoB 2.0) tool was used for quality assessment.Results From 38 identified studies, 34 remained after excluding 4 duplicates. Further exclusions left 4 eligible studies comparing minoxidil alone with minoxidil and LLLT. The meta-analysis found no statistically significant differences in hair counts between the two groups at baseline, 12 weeks, and 8 weeks post-treatment [mean difference = −0.04, 95% CI −1.22 to 1.14, p = .95, I² = 0%]. Similarly, hair diameter showed no significant differences at the same time points [mean difference = 0.00, 95% CI −0.00 to 0.00, p = .98, I² = 38%].Conclusion The combination of minoxidil and LLLT does not significantly improve outcomes compared to minoxidil alone for treating androgenic alopecia.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09546634.2024.2447355Androgenic alopeciapattern baldnessmale pattern baldnessfemale pattern baldnesslow level laser therapylow light laser therapy |
| spellingShingle | Abdulmajeed Alosaimi Abdullah Algarni Abdulrahman Alharbi Abdulmalik Alotaibi Abdullah Alomairi Mohannad Alsurayhi Waleed Alharbi Comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low-level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis Journal of Dermatological Treatment Androgenic alopecia pattern baldness male pattern baldness female pattern baldness low level laser therapy low light laser therapy |
| title | Comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low-level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full | Comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low-level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_fullStr | Comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low-level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low-level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_short | Comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low-level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_sort | comparative efficacy of minoxidil alone versus minoxidil combined with low level laser therapy in the treatment of androgenic alopecia a systematic review and meta analysis |
| topic | Androgenic alopecia pattern baldness male pattern baldness female pattern baldness low level laser therapy low light laser therapy |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09546634.2024.2447355 |
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