practicaldermatology.com
New research in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology shows oral minoxidil outperforming topical formulations in terms of patient adherence, satisfaction, and ease of use, without significantly increasing systemic side effects.
Researchers on the study studied 50 patients using either oral or topical minoxidil to assess adherence, satisfaction, and side effects.
According to the study findings, patients treated with oral minoxidil reported greater ease of treatment (P = 0.0004) and hair styling while on treatment (P = 0.0112). None of the oral minoxidil users discontinued treatment due to difficulty of use [compared to 18.8% of topical users, (P=0.0076)]. Oral minoxidil users missed fewer treatment days (0.15 vs 1.2 days, P = 0.0022) and expressed higher satisfaction with hair volume (P = 0.0098) and overall hair change (P = 0.0159).
Safety
Side effects were comparable between study groups. Hypertrichosis was more prevalent among oral minoxidil users (48.5% vs 6.25%, P = 0.0015). The authors urged perseverance in adherence, despite the side effect, as the study results importantly highlighted oral minoxidil’s ability to reduce the aesthetic and discomfort concerns often reported with topical application, such as greasy hair.
"These findings suggest that oral minoxidil is superior to topical in terms of ease of use, adherence, and satisfaction without increasing systemic side effects. By circumventing scalp application, oral minoxidil reduces the treatment burden and avoids the aesthetic and discomfort complaints that limit adherence. When establishing treatment plans, physicians should consider patient experience and its impact on adherence."
Kobayashi S, et al. Source: J Drugs Dermatol. 2025;24(2):131-133. Doi:10.36849/JDD.8424