REVIEW ARTICLE Low-level laser therapy and narrative review of other treatment modalities in androgenetic alopecia Hassan Galadari 1 & Swathi Shivakumar 2 & Torello Lotti 3 & Uwe Wollina 4 & Andy Goren 5 & Ghasem Rahmatpour Rokni 6 & Stephan Grabbe 7 & Mohamad Goldust 8,9,10 Received: 20 October 2019 /Accepted: 4 March 2020 # Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also termed as androgenic alopecia or common baldness, is a condition where there is androgen mediated conversion of susceptible terminal hair into vellus hair. Although it is reported more commonly in males, it also affects females but the incidence is relatively unknown. AGA tremendously affects the psychology of the patient due to its chronicity of treatment and cosmetic implications. There are numerous treatment options available for AGA but the choice of treatment has to often be tailored according to the patient’ s needs, affordability, and compliance. This review focusses on the various treatment options available, with special emphasis on the role of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in the management of AGA. The literature research considered published journal articles (clinical trials or scientific reviews). Studies were identified by searching electronic databases (MEDLINE and PubMed) and reference lists of respective articles. Only articles available in English were considered for this review. Keywords Androgenetic alopecia . Treatment . Low-level laser therapy Introduction Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of progressive hair loss. It is inherited as a polygenetic condition with varying severity, age of onset, and pattern of hair loss. The prevalence of AGA depends on age and race. Although data is scarce, it is generally regarded that around 30% of Caucasian men have AGA by the age of 30 years, up to 50% by 50 years, and 70% by 70 years [ 1]. Chinese, Japanese, and African American people are less affected than Caucasians [2]. In AGA, there is androgen mediated progres- sive miniaturization of the hair follicle leading to vellus * Mohamad Goldust mgoldust@uni-mainz.de Hassan Galadari hgaladari@uaeu.ac.ae Swathi Shivakumar swathi.skumar712@gmail.com Torello Lotti Professor@torellolotti.it Uwe Wollina Uwe.Wollina@klinikum-dresden.de Andy Goren Andyg@appliedbiology.com Ghasem Rahmatpour Rokni Dr.rokni@yahoo.com Stephan Grabbe stephan.grabbe@unimedizin-mainz.de 1 College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates 2 Cosmetiq Clinic, Pettah-Chacka Road, Trivandrum, Kerala, India 3 University of Studies Guglielmo Marconi, Rome, Italy 4 Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Städtisches Klinikum Dresden, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Technical University of Dresden, Friedrichstrasse 41, 01067 Dresden, Germany 5 University of Studies Guglielmo Marconi, Rome, Italy 6 Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran 7 Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany 8 University of Rome G. Marconi, Rome, Italy 9 Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany 10 Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland Lasers in Medical Science https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-020-02994-4