Oral or topical minoxidil: an interval that crosses zero
The meta-analysis mean difference in hair density between oral and topical minoxidil, drawn with its 95% confidence interval. The interval straddles zero, so no difference was detected, and it is wide enough that a modest one could not have been either. Compare the dutasteride plate, where the whole interval sits above zero. What separates these two is route, availability and side effects, in the panel below.
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Every number printed on this figure, and where it came from
Each quantity the diagram prints, the sentence it was taken from, and the guide that sentence is in. The build refuses to publish if one of these sentences is no longer in the guide it names.
| Value | What it is, and the sentence behind it | Source guide |
|---|---|---|
| 0.95 hairs | The mean difference in hair density between oral and topical “in hair density improvement (mean difference 0.95, 95% CI −24.98 to 26.87)” | Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: Evidence-Based Review |
| −24.98 hairs | The lower bound of the 95% confidence interval, below zero “in hair density improvement (mean difference 0.95, 95% CI −24.98 to 26.87)” | Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: Evidence-Based Review |
| 26.87 hairs | The upper bound of the 95% confidence interval “in hair density improvement (mean difference 0.95, 95% CI −24.98 to 26.87)” | Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: Evidence-Based Review |
| 35-47% | The reported range of patients seeing meaningful improvement on oral minoxidil “about 35-47% of patients experiencing meaningful improvement” | Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: Evidence-Based Review |
| 15.1% | Hypertrichosis in the largest published series “15.1% of patients in the largest published series” | Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: Evidence-Based Review |
| 93% | Hypertrichosis at the 5 mg dose “Higher doses (5 mg) cause hypertrichosis in up to 93% of patients” | Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: Evidence-Based Review |
| 16-22% | Patients reporting transient early shedding “Between 16-22% of patients experience transient shedding” | Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: Evidence-Based Review |
Where this figure appears
Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: Evidence-Based Review