The effect of topical finasteride 0.5% on the outcome of diode laser therapy in the treatment of excess facial hairs in the women with hirsutism

Objective: to determine the effects of topical finasteride 0.5% on the results of diode laser therapy in the treatment of hirsutism. methods: this double-blind,placebo-controlled,clinical trial study was conducted at a private clinic in babol,iran,between june 2012 and july 2013,and comprised women with idiopathic hirsutism. a diode laser (810nm) treatment was applied monthly for 6 months with an extra session at the 12th month. the device was adjusted individually according to the skin types using fitzpatrick classification. patients were divided into 2 groups: those who were given topical finasteride 0.5% and those who were given placebo solution on a daily basis for 5 days before each session. results: of the 104 participants,there were 52(50%) each in placebo and intervention groups. the mean age was 30.71+9.25 years in the former group and 31.55±7.72 in the latter (p=0.61). the mean hair number before treatment in the intervention group was 49.09±12.41 and in the placebo group was 48.78±15.31 (p=0.9). at the end of the 6month period,the mean number in treatment and placebo groups were 3.26±1.01 and 5.23±1.73 (p<0.001),respectively. after a one-year follow-up,the mean hair count of 3.73±1.20 and 7.36±2.40 was attained in intervention and placebo groups (p<0.001) respectively. conclusion: applying finasteride 0.5% solution to the unwanted facial hairs and performing diode laser at the same area resulted in reduction of unwanted hairs. © 2016,pakistan medical association. all rights reserved.