Efficacy and Tolerability of N-Acetyl-Cysteine for Treatment of The Early-onset Androgenetic Alopecia in Men

Abstract Background Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the most common form of hair loss in men, involves the progressive loss of visible pigmented terminal hair on the scalp in response to circulating androgens. AGA is an autosomal disorder which begins in puberty in genetically predisposed individuals. Aim of the Work To study the effectiveness and safety of the reactive oxygen species scavenger Nacetyl-cysteine (NAC) as a single therapy and in combination with the topically applied minoxidil for treatment of the early-onset androgenetic alopecia in men. Patients and Methods The present study included 100 patients with male pattern hair loss whose age ranged from 18 to 30 years old, recruited from dermatology clinics in Ain Shams University Hospital and Kafr El Sheik University Hospital. Results Overall, all treatments could improve significantly some of the trichoscopic parameters as compared to the control group who did not receive any treatment. The number of terminal hair count increased and the vellus hair count decreased in response to either of treatments; minoxidil, NAC, or both as compared to control. These changes were noticed at both the vertex and frontotemporal sites. The treatment was generally tolerable and the side effects encountered did not necessitate stoppage of the treatment course. Conclusion On the basis of the findings of current study we can conclude that, the role of trichoscopy in increasing the accuracy for diagnosing hair disorders as well as to detect response or failure to treatment, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) improved significantly most of the trichoscopic features of AGA and it was was generally tolerable and the side effects encountered did not necessitate stoppage of the treatment course.