Metronidazole

Metronidazole

Potential efficacity for hair loss : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My recommendation

I believe that metronidazole could be an effective treatment for seborrheic dermatitis, including hair loss caused by it, particularly in cases of seborrheic alopecia. It may also help treat psoriasis.

However, it's important to note that metronidazole is not a first-line treatment. Your doctor will likely only prescribe it off-label if other treatments have not worked for you.

Home 9 Medications and others 9 Metronidazole

Metronidazole is an antibiotic medication used to treat certain bacterial and parasitic infections. It works by disrupting the DNA of bacteria and parasites, preventing them from multiplying. Metronidazole is effective against infections in the intestines, genital tract, skin, mouth, and other body tissues. It can be given orally or intravenously.

Metronidazole is only approved for rosacea when small blood vessels are also present on the face. Use of metronidazole for other conditions is considered off-label.

Is it effective against hair loss?

To date, we have no studies directly testing the effectiveness of Metronidazole on hair loss. However, we do have studies that focus on its ability to eliminate infections causing seborrheic dermatitis.

Seborrheic dermatitis, in case you’re not aware, can lead to hair loss, a condition known as seborrheic alopecia. Therefore, its treatment can often prove very useful in reducing hair loss.

We also have a study asserting that it can be beneficial in cases of psoriasis, another condition that can affect the scalp and cause hair loss.

Metronidazole may reduce seborrheic dermatisis and seborrheic alopecia

There are numerous studies demonstrating the effectiveness of Metronidazole in the treatment of seborrheic dermatisis.

Seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin condition that causes flaky, dry, white to yellowish scales on oily areas of the skin. It commonly affects the scalp, causing red, itchy, and greasy flaking that can lead to seborrheic alopecia – a form of hair loss due to inflammation from seborrheic dermatitis.

Here are some studies that mention the effectiveness of metronidazole. You can find more on the Big Studies: Metronidazole.

Study from 2006 : Metronidazole 1% on seborrheic dermatisis

In this study, conducted in 2006 by Siadat and colleagues, the efficacity of topical 1% metronidazole was tested for seborrheic dermatitis.

After 8 weeks, results showed a significant reduction in severity scores for the metronidazole group compared to the placebo group at the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth weeks of treatment.

Study from 2007 : Metronidazole 0.75% vs ketoconazole 2% on seborrheic dermatisis

In this study, conducted in 2007 by Seckin and colleagues, topical 0.75% metronidazole was compared to 2% ketoconazole for seborrheic dermatitis.

Ketoconazole, which is a first-line treatment, was slightly more effective than metronidazole with a score of 63.4% versus 54.4%.

Studies mentionning Metronidazole’s ineffectiveness for seborrheic dermatisis

There are studies that also claim that metronidazole is not very effective in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis.

As a result, several questions may arise:

Are these studies reliable?
Could the preparation of metronidazole play a role in its effectiveness?
Were the subjects tested resistant, or did they have different bacterial infections?

We don’t really know; only further, more in-depth studies could help us answer these questions. For now, let’s just say that metronidazole might be effective in some individuals and not in others.

Metronidazole may treat Psoriasis

According to a 2017 study conducted by Sayad and colleagues, Metronidazole can also help reduce and treat psoriasis, a skin condition that can appear of the scalp and cause hair loss in some cases.

To explain it in simple terms, psoriasis causes skin cells to grow too quickly, resulting in red, thick, scaly patches on the skin. It is an immune disorder where the immune system attacks healthy skin cells by mistake. Psoriasis can be itchy and uncomfortable.

Here are before and after pictures from the study :

In this study, nickel was found to upregulate certain genes associated with psoriasis and downregulate others. This impact was observed in pathways related to immune response, defense, cell cycle, and metabolism.

The study suggests that recognizing abnormal nickel levels could enhance our understanding of psoriasis

Closing thoughts and verdict

I believe that metronidazole could be an alternative treatment for seborrheic dermatitis, including hair loss caused by it, particularly in cases of seborrheic alopecia. It may also help treat psoriasis.

Just like with any medication, it’s possible that this medication may not be effective for everyone. Therefore, it should be viewed as one option among many.

However, it’s important to note that metronidazole is not a first-line treatment. Your doctor will likely only prescribe it off-label if other treatments have not worked for you.

Precautions & side effects

Side Effects: