Review of Topical Therapies for Beard Enhancement

Abstract

Beards and facial hair are part of males. It may be a sign of masculinity and attraction. Topical therapy for beard enhancement may be desired by some men to improve beard growth and density. A review of all reports on topical treatment options for beard enhancement is presented here. Reports on topical treatment for beard enhancement were searched using The United States National Library of Medicine PubMed, exploring all titles containing beard, facial hair or mustache as of July 22 2020. A total of 445 articles resulted from the search after reviewing the publications for potential relation to beard enhancement. Three studies match the aim of the review regarding topical therapy for beard enhancement in men. Two of which were double-blind clinical trials and one was a case report. Topical 3 % minoxidil, as studied by Ingprasert et al., showed a significant increase in hair count, photographic scoring and patient self-assessment. Saeedi et al. studied the use of 2.5 % testosterone gel for men with thalassemia major with an increase in terminal hair. Vestita et al. published a case report demonstrating unexpected improvement of beard density for a patient using tretinoin 0.05 % cream. Only limited evidence could be presented on topical treatments for beard enhancement. Topical minoxidil is an off-label treatment to enhance the beard. Other topical options such as testosterone, tretinoin, bimatoprost could constitute potential treatment options. Further studies needed to recommend the best topical options for men who desire to enhance their beards.