Advances in microneedles research based on promoting hair regrowth.

Alopecia is the most common and difficult-to-treat hair disorder. It usually brings a significant psychological burden to the patients. With the growing popularity of alopecia, the study of alopecia has gained more attention. Currently, only minoxidil and finasteride have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of alopecia, but the efficacy has always been unsatisfactory. As a new form of transdermal drug delivery, microneedles have been widely used in the treatment of alopecia and have proven to be effective. Microneedles delivery can improve the efficiency of local drug delivery and patients' compliance, which can achieve better therapeutic effects on hair-related diseases. Therefore, microneedles have gained much attention in the field of alopecia and hair regrowth promotion in recent years. This review summarizes the last decade of research on the microneedles delivery design for the treatment of alopecia or promotion of hair regrowth and provides a comprehensive evaluation of this field. Microneedles delivery strategy in stratified skin for promoting hair regrowth. Drugs can be combined with nanocarriers, exogenous stimulation, and the microneedles delivery system for targeted, controlled release delivery of drugs directly to the area of the hair follicle and the treatment of the disease. [Display omitted] • The types of alopecia and treatments are introduced. • Different types of microneedles in the field of alopecia are presented. • The clinical trials and current status of microneedles for alopecia are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]