Minoxidil a Youth Elixir for Eyebrow Hypotrichosis

Abstract

Introduction: Eyebrows being prominent feature of the face contributes majorily for aesthetics. Eyebrow hypotrichosis means the reduction or absence of the eyebrow hair. This is associated with negative self-esteem. Minoxidil has been found to act at the level of hair follicle by direct stimulation of follicular epithelial growth, increase cutaneous blood flow, and stimulate resting hair follicles. Aim: To study the potential role of Minoxidil for the treatment of eyebrow hypotrichosis. Materials and Methods: It was a prospective interventional study comprising of 22 subjects aged 18 years or more having eyebrow hypotrichosis. These patients garded as Grade 1 or 2 hairloss on the Allergan Global Eyebrow Assessment (GEBA) scale. All the patients were advised to apply 1 mL of 2% minoxidil lotion to eyebrow twice a day for four months. Comparison of the change in global photographic score (Subject’s satisfaction) before and after Minoxidil treatment was done, also comparison of the diameter and number of eyebrow hairs/cm2 areas between pre and post-treatment done. Paired t-test was used to compare diameter and number of eyebrow before and at the end of treatment. Results: Before treatment with Minoxidil the average hair shaft diameter was 0.034±0.0057 mm and density was 17±5.03 hairs/ cm2 . After treatment this improved to 0.07±0.0045 mm and 30±7.03 hairs/cm2 , respectively. The global photographic score was -2.1±0.76 before treatment that increased to -1.3±0.89 at four weeks and reached a peak of 2.3±0.55 at 16 weeks. The incidence of adverse events was 22.72% (5/22 subjects) which included mild itching and burning. Conclusion: This study showed that 2% Minoxidil is a welltolerated and effective treatment for eyebrow hypotrichosis.