Sources describe several options besides oral finasteride: topical and oral minoxidil, dutasteride, topical finasteride and low-level laser therapy. A 2017 systematic review abstract says minoxidil and finasteride are FDA-approved, HairMax LaserComb is FDA-cleared, and these are the only treatments recognized by the FDA as treatments of androgenetic alopecia. This article reports what each source says. It does not rank the options or recommend one.
What each source says about regulatory status
| Option | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Minoxidil, topical | A 2018 systematic review says only topical minoxidil and oral finasteride are approved by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. |
| Minoxidil, oral | An expert review says low dose oral minoxidil, in doses below those likely to lower blood pressure, has increasingly been used off label to treat a variety of hair loss conditions but without any standard recommended practices. |
| Dutasteride | The Avodart (dutasteride) label lists treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate, and says Avodart is not approved for the prevention of prostate cancer. The passages used here give no regulatory status for hair loss. |
| Finasteride, topical | The FDA states that currently there is no FDA-approved topical formulation of finasteride and that compounded topical finasteride products do not have FDA-approved labeling. |
| Low-level laser therapy | The low-level laser review gives no regulatory status in the passage used here. The 2017 review above names HairMax LaserComb as FDA-cleared. |
Minoxidil
The Men's Rogaine 5% minoxidil Drug Facts label lists its purpose as hair regrowth treatment for men, for the top of the scalp (vertex only). It says results may occur at 2 months with twice a day usage, some men may need at least 4 months before they see results, the amount of hair regrowth is different for each person, and the product will not work for all men. It says continued use is necessary to increase and keep hair regrowth, or hair loss will begin again. It says it is not intended for frontal baldness or receding hairline, and to stop use and ask a doctor if chest pain, rapid heartbeat, faintness, or dizziness occurs.
Dutasteride and topical finasteride
A 2026 systematic review reported that for dutasteride 0.5 mg, sexual adverse events ranged from 4.1 to 12.0% across randomized controlled trials, compared with 4.0-5.0% in placebo groups.
For topical finasteride, the FDA states there were 32 cases of adverse events associated with compounded topical finasteride reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System between 2019 and 2024, and that most reports state the adverse events continued to persist after product discontinuation. A phase III randomized trial of a topical finasteride spray solution ran 24 weeks in adult men at 45 sites in Europe. Change in target area hair count at week 24 was significantly greater than placebo (adjusted mean change 20.2 vs. 6.7 hairs; P < 0.001), and numerically similar between topical and oral finasteride. Maximum plasma finasteride concentrations were >100 times lower, and reduction from baseline in mean serum DHT concentration was lower (34.5 vs. 55.6%), with topical vs. oral finasteride. The 2026 systematic review also reported that topical finasteride 0.25% was associated with lower rates of sexual adverse events (2.8%) compared with oral finasteride (4.8%).
Low-level laser and what guidelines say
A 2018 systematic review stated that low-level laser therapy appears to be a promising noninvasive treatment for androgenic alopecia in adults that is safe for self-administration in the home setting. It added that, although shown to effectively stimulate hair growth when compared to sham devices, the results must be interpreted with caution, and that further studies with larger samples, longer follow-up, and independent funding sources are necessary.
A Canadian expert panel of 11 physicians developed Delphi-based consensus recommendations of interventions for the management of androgenetic alopecia in male and female adults (J Cutan Med Surg 2025). The abstract states that, despite the multitude of interventions and the willingness of people with androgenetic alopecia to try treatments, there are no clear Canadian guidelines on its management. It recommends seven interventions: oral dutasteride; oral finasteride; topical finasteride; topical minoxidil; platelet-rich plasma; microneedling; and oral minoxidil. The PubMed record lists L'Oréal Canada, Montreal, as the affiliation of some of its authors. The conflict of interest statement says the authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research.
What this does not tell you
The sources use different designs, doses, lengths and outcomes, so their figures should not be set side by side. This article does not say which option suits a given person. A panel's recommendation and a regulatory statement are different kinds of statement. The count of 32 FDA reports is a count, not a rate. A licensed provider decides what is appropriate for a person.