Long-Term Safety and Tolerability of a Physician-Formulated Hair Growth Supplement: A Retrospective Review of 508 Patients.

objectiveTo evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of a physician-formulated hair growth supplement developed by a board-certified dermatologist and board-certified plastic surgeon, with particular attention to liver function testing.

methodsA retrospective chart review was conducted across four dermatology practices. The study included 508 patients who took the supplement for at least 12 weeks between July 2020 and December 2024. Duration of use ranged from 12 to 255 weeks. Eligible patients were required to have at least 2 in-person evaluations by a board-certified dermatologist. Patients were excluded if they were pregnant, concurrently taking other hair loss supplements, or had significant pre-existing medical conditions that could confound safety evaluation. Data collected included patient demographics, clinical history, physical examination documentation, and liver function test results, including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, and gamma-glutamyl transferase.

resultsA total of 508 patient charts met inclusion criteria. The cohort included 452 female patients (89.0%) and 56 male patients (11.0%), with an average age of 48.4 years. Participants took the supplement for an average of 34 weeks, with 92 patients taking it for more than 52 weeks and 33 patients taking it for more than 104 weeks. Overall, 48% of the total study population had documented liver function testing during the study period. All documented liver function tests remained within normal reference ranges. Among patients taking the supplement for at least 52 weeks, 80% had laboratory testing available, and all results were within normal limits. Among patients taking the supplement for more than 104 weeks, 88% had liver function testing available, and all results were within normal limits. No hepatic adverse events, clinically significant laboratory abnormalities, or liver-function-related discontinuations were reported. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include the retrospective study design, availability of laboratory data for only a subset of participants, potential selection bias, and lack of a prospective randomized control group.

conclusionIn this retrospective review of 508 patients, long-term use of the studied physician-formulated hair growth supplement was well tolerated, with no documented liver function abnormalities among patients with available laboratory data. These findings support a favorable long-term safety profile when the supplement is used as directed. Future prospective, randomized, controlled studies with standardized outcome measures are warranted to further evaluate safety and efficacy.