الفهرس 
English CoverOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 180 |  |  |
| | | from | 180 | | |
Abstract
Background: Recently laser treatment for hair loss has become very popular. Laser-assisted drug delivery (LAD) is a new developing science that has grown popular in various medical applications. This work aims at inspecting the effect of fractional carbon dioxide laser (CO2) on improving the delivery of minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia patients and detecting the role of fractional CO2 laser in its treatment. Patients and methods Forty-five Egyptians with male androgenetic alopecia (MAGA) were enrolled in this study; clinical grading was assessed based on Norwood-Hamilton classification. Patients were divided into 3 groups; the first group (combined group) received fractional CO2 laser session followed by topical application of minoxidil 5% solution twice daily and also in between sessions, the second group received fractional CO2 laser sessions only. Six sessions with 2-week intervals were performed. The third group applied topical minoxidil only for 3 months. Global photographs and dermoscopic assessments were performed before treatment and three months after. Results The mean number of hair after treatment in the 3 groups significantly increased, mostly in the combined group (p=0.001).The hair thickness (thin & thick) significantly increased after treatment in the combined group (thin hair p=0.001, thick hair p=0.042) and the fractional group (thin hair p=0.001, thick hair p=0.008), however, in the minoxidil group only thin hair thickness increased (p=0.001). In all 3 groups, there was significant improvement in hair count and thickness. Several dermoscopic findings were detected; peripilar sign, hair diversity, yellow spot, white dots, and arborizing red lines. The number of double hair units significantly increased after treatment in combined group (p=0.012). Conclusion Ablative fractional CO2 laser alone or combined with minoxidil may serve as an additional treatment for MAGA. Keywords Male androgenetic alopecia –Fractional CO2 laser –Minoxidil – Laser assisted drug delivery