Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hosam H. Awaji; Ghadeer Abdullah Albalawi; Albandari Saad Alanazi; Atheer Nasser Alzahrani; Abdulrahman Saleh Mesfer Alghamdi; Najat Hassan H. Aldubayyan; Ameera Abdulaziz Alkhamesi; Talal A. Alharthi; Ghaid Mohammed Alotaibi; Lama M. Albelowi; Nouf A. Alghufaily; Yunus Muidh Alzahrani; Saeed Othman Aldhuwayhi; Ali Fadhel Hasan

doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

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Online Published: 06 Jan 2025

IJMDC. 2025; 9(1): 268-277

doi: 10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hosam H. Awaji, Ghadeer Abdullah Albalawi, Albandari Saad Alanazi, Atheer Nasser Alzahrani, Abdulrahman Saleh Mesfer Alghamdi, Najat Hassan H. Aldubayyan, Ameera Abdulaziz Alkhamesi, Talal A. Alharthi, Ghaid Mohammed Alotaibi, Lama M. Albelowi, Nouf A. Alghufaily, Yunus Muidh Alzahrani, Saeed Othman Aldhuwayhi, Ali Fadhel Hasan.

Abstract
Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a widespread hair loss disorder that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Fractional photothermolysis (FP) and topical minoxidil are two potential treatment options for AGA, but their combined efficacy and safety have not been fully evaluated. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of topical minoxidil along with FP in treating AGA in comparison to topical minoxidil alone. An extensive search of the literature was conducted to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in English from the beginning to September 30th’ 2024 that compared minoxidil and FP along with minoxidil alone for AGA. The main results were variations in hair diameter and density. The negative events were secondary results. This systematic review included five RCTs with 321 participants in total. The rise in terminal root count between the FP + minoxidil group and the minoxidil-only group did not vary significantly, according to the data. At the 6-month follow-up, however, the FP + minoxidil group's hair diameter significantly increased in comparison to the minoxidil-only group. Serious adverse effects were rare and both therapies were typically well tolerated. For the treatment of AGA, the combination of FP and topical minoxidil seems to be a beneficial strategy, especially when it comes to increasing hair diameter. To validate these results and evaluate the treatment's long-term effectiveness and safety, further investigation is necessary.

Key words: Androgenetic alopecia, efficacy, fractional photothermolysis, minoxidil 5%, systemic review.

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How to Cite this Article

Pubmed Style

Awaji HH, Albalawi GA, Alanazi AS, Alzahrani AN, Alghamdi ASM, Aldubayyan NHH, Alkhamesi AA, Alharthi TA, Alotaibi GM, Albelowi LM, Alghufaily NA, Alzahrani YM, Aldhuwayhi SO, Hasan AF. Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. IJMDC. 2025; 9(1): 268-277. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

Web Style

Awaji HH, Albalawi GA, Alanazi AS, Alzahrani AN, Alghamdi ASM, Aldubayyan NHH, Alkhamesi AA, Alharthi TA, Alotaibi GM, Albelowi LM, Alghufaily NA, Alzahrani YM, Aldhuwayhi SO, Hasan AF. Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=235464 [Access: March 17, 2025]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Awaji HH, Albalawi GA, Alanazi AS, Alzahrani AN, Alghamdi ASM, Aldubayyan NHH, Alkhamesi AA, Alharthi TA, Alotaibi GM, Albelowi LM, Alghufaily NA, Alzahrani YM, Aldhuwayhi SO, Hasan AF. Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. IJMDC. 2025; 9(1): 268-277. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Awaji HH, Albalawi GA, Alanazi AS, Alzahrani AN, Alghamdi ASM, Aldubayyan NHH, Alkhamesi AA, Alharthi TA, Alotaibi GM, Albelowi LM, Alghufaily NA, Alzahrani YM, Aldhuwayhi SO, Hasan AF. Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. IJMDC. (2025), [cited March 17, 2025]; 9(1): 268-277. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

Harvard Style

Awaji, H. H., Albalawi, . G. A., Alanazi, . A. S., Alzahrani, . A. N., Alghamdi, . A. S. M., Aldubayyan, . N. H. H., Alkhamesi, . A. A., Alharthi, . T. A., Alotaibi, . G. M., Albelowi, . L. M., Alghufaily, . N. A., Alzahrani, . Y. M., Aldhuwayhi, . S. O. & Hasan, . A. F. (2025) Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. IJMDC, 9 (1), 268-277. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

Turabian Style

Awaji, Hosam H., Ghadeer Abdullah Albalawi, Albandari Saad Alanazi, Atheer Nasser Alzahrani, Abdulrahman Saleh Mesfer Alghamdi, Najat Hassan H. Aldubayyan, Ameera Abdulaziz Alkhamesi, Talal A. Alharthi, Ghaid Mohammed Alotaibi, Lama M. Albelowi, Nouf A. Alghufaily, Yunus Muidh Alzahrani, Saeed Othman Aldhuwayhi, and Ali Fadhel Hasan. 2025. Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 9 (1), 268-277. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

Chicago Style

Awaji, Hosam H., Ghadeer Abdullah Albalawi, Albandari Saad Alanazi, Atheer Nasser Alzahrani, Abdulrahman Saleh Mesfer Alghamdi, Najat Hassan H. Aldubayyan, Ameera Abdulaziz Alkhamesi, Talal A. Alharthi, Ghaid Mohammed Alotaibi, Lama M. Albelowi, Nouf A. Alghufaily, Yunus Muidh Alzahrani, Saeed Othman Aldhuwayhi, and Ali Fadhel Hasan. "Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 9 (2025), 268-277. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Awaji, Hosam H., Ghadeer Abdullah Albalawi, Albandari Saad Alanazi, Atheer Nasser Alzahrani, Abdulrahman Saleh Mesfer Alghamdi, Najat Hassan H. Aldubayyan, Ameera Abdulaziz Alkhamesi, Talal A. Alharthi, Ghaid Mohammed Alotaibi, Lama M. Albelowi, Nouf A. Alghufaily, Yunus Muidh Alzahrani, Saeed Othman Aldhuwayhi, and Ali Fadhel Hasan. "Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 9.1 (2025), 268-277. Print. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Awaji, H. H., Albalawi, . G. A., Alanazi, . A. S., Alzahrani, . A. N., Alghamdi, . A. S. M., Aldubayyan, . N. H. H., Alkhamesi, . A. A., Alharthi, . T. A., Alotaibi, . G. M., Albelowi, . L. M., Alghufaily, . N. A., Alzahrani, . Y. M., Aldhuwayhi, . S. O. & Hasan, . A. F. (2025) Efficacy and safety of combined fractional photothermolysis and topical minoxidil 5% versus topical minoxidil 5% alone in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 9 (1), 268-277. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1735639373

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