The fight against alopecia and the desire to have hair again has been a constant since the old times. So-called “hair growth” and miracle remedies have been sought after and marketed. The truth is that today,  the only way for hair to grow back after the final fall is a hair transplant. However, you can avoid the fall by taking oral medication and as it has been known, cetirizine is incorporated against alopecia.

One of the pioneering studies in this regard is headed by doctors A Rossi, D Campo, M C Fortuna, V Garelli, G Pranteda, G De Vita, L Sorriso-Valvo, D Di Nunno, M Carlesimo. Patients treated with prostaglandin PGF2a were observed to have an important role in hair growth. Dividing PGE and PGF2 established a positive role while PGD2 did so negatively, miniaturizing the follicles.

They then decided to carry out a study on a sample of 85 patients, of which 67 were prescribed the aforementioned cetirizine to stop the progression of alopecia. In the final results they found that the density of the hair was increased thanks to the thickening of the same without notable side effects.

What is cetirizine?

Cetirizine is an anti-allergic medication commonly prescribed for the relief of nasal and ocular symptoms of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis as well as the relief of hives. It is prescribed to patients with allergies to improve the symptoms produced by it.

In hair medicine it is usually used in combination with other medications, through a formula that is made in pharmacies.  It must be a specialist doctor who prescribes this medication to have the greatest effectiveness. Medications with it may be combined with include finasteride, dutasteride, and minoxidil.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I recover my hair by taking cetirizine?

Cetirizine will not cause hair that has fallen out to grow back. This can only be recovered by hair transplantation. Yes, it will help in the growth and strengthening of those that are still present in our head, helping its thickening.

Does cetirizine have any side effects?

Cetirizine is a medicine with a high safety profile that has no serious side effects. The most common may be drowsiness, dizziness or headaches. However, when introduced in formulas, it is done with a lower dose that makes the appearance of these symptoms unlikely.

Dr. Espinosa Custodio works at Instituto Médico del Prado, his hair clinic in Madrid, and performs hair transplants in Mexico, twice a year. If you would like to make an appointment, you can contact us on +34 912 468 664, on WhatsApp +34 627 396 322 or on the contact page of our website. From Mexico you can contact us at +52 55 4590 9909.

Bibliography

Rossi A, Campo D, Fortuna MC, Garelli V, Pranteda G, De Vita G, Sorriso-Valvo L, Di Nunno D, Carlesimo M. A preliminary study on topical cetirizine in the therapeutic management of androgenetic alopecia. J Dermatolog Treat. 2018 Mar;29(2):149-151. doi: 10.1080/09546634.2017.1341610. Epub 2017 Jun 29. PMID: 28604133.