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Gao JL, Streed CG, Thompson J, Dommasch ED, Peebles JK. Androgenetic alopecia in transgender and gender diverse populations: A review of therapeutics. J Am Acad Dermatol 2023; 89:774-783. [PMID: 34756934 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2021.08.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) management is a significant clinical and therapeutic challenge for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) patients. Although gender-affirming hormone therapies affect hair growth, there is little research about AGA in TGD populations. After reviewing the literature on approved treatments, off-label medication usages, and procedures for treating AGA, we present treatment options for AGA in TGD patients. The first-line treatments for any TGD patient include topical minoxidil 5% applied to the scalp once or twice daily, finasteride 1 mg oral daily, and/or low-level laser light therapy. Spironolactone 200 mg daily is also first-line for transfeminine patients. Second-line options include daily oral minoxidil dosed at 1.25 or 2.5 mg for transfeminine and transmasculine patients, respectively. Topical finasteride 0.25% monotherapy or in combination with minoxidil 2% solution are second-line options for transmasculine and transfeminine patients, respectively. Other second-line treatments for any TGD patient include oral dutasteride 0.5 mg daily, platelet-rich plasma, or hair restoration procedures. After 6-12 months of treatment, AGA severity and treatment progress should be assessed via scales not based on sex; eg, the Basic and Specific Classification or the Bouhanna scales. Dermatologists should coordinate care with the patient's primary gender-affirming clinician(s) so that shared knowledge of all medications exists across the care team.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia L Gao
- Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Dermatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia.
| | - Carl G Streed
- Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Erica D Dommasch
- Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Dermatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jon Klinton Peebles
- Department of Dermatology, Kaiser-Permanente Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, Rockville, Maryland
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Gao JL, Sanz J, Tan N, King DS, Modest AM, Dommasch ED. Androgenetic alopecia incidence in transgender and gender diverse populations: A retrospective comparative cohort study. J Am Acad Dermatol 2023; 89:504-510. [PMID: 36780950 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2023.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a significant challenge for many transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients, but the rate of AGA among TGD patients receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) compared to cisgender patients has not yet been studied on a large scale. OBJECTIVE We examined the incidence of AGA among TGD patients receiving GAHT compared to cisgender patients. METHODS Retrospective cohort study using electronic health records from 37,826 patients seen at Fenway Health between August 1, 2014, and August 1, 2020. Crude and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) for AGA were calculated using Poisson regression. RESULTS TGD patients receiving masculinizing GAHT had aIRR 2.50, 95% CI 1.71-3.65 and 1.30, 95% CI 0.91-1.86 compared to cisgender women and cisgender men, respectively. The rate of AGA for TGD patients receiving feminizing GAHT was not significantly different compared to cisgender men but was significantly increased compared to cisgender women (aIRR 1.91, 95% CI 1.25-2.92). LIMITATIONS Inability to determine causation and limited generalizability. CONCLUSION TGD patients receiving masculinizing GAHT have 2.5 times the rate of AGA compared to cisgender women, whereas TGD patients on feminizing GAHT did not have a significantly increased rate of AGA compared to cisgender men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia L Gao
- Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Dermatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, New Hampshire; George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC.
| | - Jessika Sanz
- Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Dermatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; New York Institute College of Osteopathic Medicine, Jonesboro, Arkansas
| | - Nicholas Tan
- Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Dermatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Case Western University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Dana S King
- Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anna M Modest
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Erica D Dommasch
- Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Dermatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Gao JL, Kamal K, Peebles K. Equity for Sexual and Gender Diverse Persons in Medicine and Dermatology. Dermatol Clin 2023; 41:299-308. [PMID: 36933919 DOI: 10.1016/j.det.2022.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Dermatologists can play a key role in improving health equity for sexual and gender diverse (SGD) patients through cultivating awareness of how their patients' sexual and gender identity may affect their skin health, developing SGD-inclusive curricula and safe spaces in medical training, promoting workforce diversity, practicing with intersectionality in mind, and engaging in advocacy for their patients, whether it be through daily practice, legislative and public policy initiatives, or research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia L Gao
- The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Dermatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1340 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA; George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA; Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03766, USA.
| | - Kanika Kamal
- Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Klint Peebles
- Department of Dermatology, Kaiser-Permanente Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, 1221 Mercantile Lane, Largo, MD 20774, USA
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Rutnin S, Suchonwanit P, Kositkuljorn C, Pomsoong C, Korpaisarn S, Arunakul J, Rattananukrom T. Characterizing Dermatological Conditions in the Transgender Population: A Cross-Sectional Study. Transgend Health 2023; 8:89-99. [PMID: 36824384 PMCID: PMC9942180 DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2021.0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to demonstrate the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) and gender-affirming procedures on the skin in transgender individuals. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among transgender people. Skin conditions related to GAHT were assessed, including acne (using the Investigator's Global Assessment, IGA), postacne sequelae, melasma, hypertrichosis in androgen-sensitive areas (HAAs) in transgender men (TM) and hirsutism in transgender women (TW) (using the modified Ferriman-Gallwey score, mFG score), and hair loss (using the Hamilton-Norwood and Ludwig scale) at baseline, 6 months after GAHT, and the day on which the questionnaire was completed. Dermatological problems after gender-affirming procedures were evaluated. Results A total of 159 patients, including 134 TM and 25 TW, were eligible to participate. The median duration of GAHT was 23 and 36 months in TM and TW, respectively. In TM, the median IGA score of facial acne increased from 1 at baseline to 3 after 6 months and decreased to 2 after 2 years of GAHT. The mFG score indicated HAA in all TMs after testosterone treatment. A total of 88.1% of TM had no hair loss before hormone therapy. However, after 2 years of GAHT, 76.1% of TM developed male pattern hair loss (MPHL), and 26.1% of them had moderate-to-severe MPHL. In TW, the median IGA and mFG scores decreased after 3 years of hormone therapy, and the proportion of female pattern hair loss (FPHL) in TW increased to 16% after GAHT. In both groups, the most common skin complication after gender-affirming surgery was hypertrophic scarring. Conclusions GAHT in TM resulted in acne and MPHL, whereas GAHT in TW caused melasma and FPHL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suthinee Rutnin
- Divisions of Dermatology and Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Poonkiat Suchonwanit
- Divisions of Dermatology and Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chaninan Kositkuljorn
- Divisions of Dermatology and Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Cherrin Pomsoong
- Divisions of Dermatology and Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sira Korpaisarn
- Divisions of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Jiraporn Arunakul
- Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Teerapong Rattananukrom
- Divisions of Dermatology and Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Address correspondence to: Teerapong Rattananukrom, MD, MSc, Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama VI Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand,
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