A few months ago news came out that caused a bit of a stir on the net: two American scientists, J. Satino and G. Smith, would have found, on a sample of 28 males and 7 females, an average increase of 93,5 % of hair after 6 months of treatment with CBD, also known as cannabidiol, extracted from cannabis sativa. Hair growth was particularly more marked in men, especially in the vertex area.
The uproar obviously arises from the sensationalism with which a possible new cure for women is presented every time baldness, which afflicts many men, moreover connected, albeit vaguely, to substances on whose legalization the debate is always very heated.
First of all, it is useful to clarify immediately that the test did not involve smoking marijuana, an activity which in the light of current knowledge does not bring any benefit to baldness. The method of administration rather envisaged the application of a certain quantity of product directly on the areas affected by baldness or thinning, for a quantity equal to about 3-4 mg of CBD per day.
It must be said that a single study cannot yet prove anything, either in terms of efficacy or long-term safety. Another more recent study has even shown that different concentrations of CBD can achieve the opposite effect to the desired one, proposing the need to carry out further research before drawing conclusions, if only to identify the ideal dosage. Certainly, especially compared to Finasteride, whose side effects are starting to have serious effects, a safer alternative would be desirable. But an effectiveness problem remains.
The high percentages published are in fact, in reality, comparable to those of other drugs such as Minoxidil and Finasteride, which in absolute terms are absolutely not comparable to hair transplantation. In the same study we read in fact
“Hair transplantation is the only current successful permanent option, and it requires surgical procedures.”
highlighting that all these pharmacological treatments are all in any case to be understood as "for life", against, when possible, surgical therapy which is definitive and does not require the use of other drugs. In fact, afterwards, when the pharmacological treatment is stopped, in a few months the beneficial effects vanish completely, since the causes of androgenetic baldness remain.
In short, the hair transplant it is the only definitive option, but above all it is the only one that can restore maximum thickness if mastered by an expert surgeon and with the right technique.
Links to publications:
1 – https://publications.sciences.ucf.edu/cannabis/index.php/Cannabis/article/view/78/47
2 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36181341/
