Minoxidil induced hypertrichosis in a 2 year-old child

Abstract

We report a case of a 2 year-old male patient who developed generalized hypertrichosis after 2 months of treatment with 5% minoxidil foam for alopecia areata. This report highlights the danger of prescribing topical minoxidil to young children and the need to correctly instruct caretakers about its administration.

Piggyback‐Acquired Hypertrichosis

“…Since topical minoxidil became commercially available in 1987, few complications have been reported. In the pediatric population, hypertrichosis in a 2‐year‐old child was reported after 2 months of use of 5% minoxidil for the treatment of alopecia areata, followed by improvement after discontinuation of the medication . To our knowledge, there are no published cases describing hypertrichosis in an infant or child as a result of minoxidil use by a caretaker.…”

Infantile generalized hypertrichosis caused by topical minoxidil

“…Hypotheses on the pathogenesis of the diffuse hypertrichosis reaction routinely include systemic absorption, as well as high sensitivity of the follicular apparatus to the medication. 1 , 8 Differences were observed in the cutaneous and systemic metabolism of topical substances applied in children compared to adults. This age group also experienced increased drug viability and sometimes higher toxicity, due to greater body surface area in relation to weight.…”

“…It commonly affects the cheeks, upper lip, and chins but can also appear in other areas of the body, with few cases reported in the pediatric population. 1 We present the first reported case in Brazil of generalized hypertrichosis affecting a 5-year-old child after using topical minoxidil.…”

Caffeine and Its Pharmacological Benefits in the Management of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Review

“…Minoxidil is one of only 2 drugs in use worldwide for the treatment of hair loss, the other being finasteride [64]. However, topical minoxidil solution has been associated with adverse effects [92], including contact dermatitis [93] and hypertrichosis [94, 95]. On the other hand, caffeine is the most studied natural ingredient with the potential to be a topical multibenefit solution to hair loss and is not known to show any undesired effects in vivo [39].…”