P37 OFFICE-BASED PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION OF HAIR GROWTH IN MEN TREATED WITH ORAL FINASTERIDE 1MG/DAY FOR ANDROGENETIC ALOPECIA

Ralph M. Trüeb, M.D., Urs Bader, M.D., and the Swiss Trichology Study Group; Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland

A 6-month, prospective, open, multicenter, cohort study in 265 men with male pattern hair loss treated with oral finasteride 1 mg/day was conducted in the office of 52 Swiss dermatologists to determine the usefulness and reliability of a simplified polaroid camera equipment for global photographic assessment of patient progress during office visits. The patient’s head was placed in a stereotactic device, and polaroid photographs were taken of the vertex and frontal areas. Endpoints used to determine treatment efficacy were patient self-assessment, investigator clinical assessment, and blinded assessment of the serial polaroid photographs by a panel of 2 experienced dermatologists. Significant improvements were stated on the photographs by both clinical investigators and the blinded expert panel: Approximately half of patients showed improvement of hair growth at 6 months of treatment. Independently, patient self-assessment and investigator clinical assessment confirmed the progress. Finasteride was well-tolerated, and no significant safety concerns were identified during the study. It is concluded that the office-based polaroid photograph system allows reliable assessment of change during treatment of male pattern hair loss with finasteride. The data generated in this manner correspond to the antecedent results of the multicenter, placebo-controlled studies with oral finasteride.