Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common dermatological condition affecting both men and women. Until recently there has been little interest in AGA as a clinical condition, largely due to the lack of any genuinely effective treatment for it. A number of "remedies" exist, such as vitamin supplements, which are not generally harmful but which have no proven efficacy in promoting hair growth or preventing further hair loss. Hair systems and surgery provide camouflage for the symptoms but do not effect a cure. By far the most promising approaches to the treatment of AGA are drug therapies, such as minoxidil and finasteride. Finasteride, an inhibitor of the type II 5alpha-reductase that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, has been shown to prevent further hair loss, and promotes new hair growth in the majority of the men taking part in clinical trials. Tailored drug approaches like this offer the greatest hope for the successful future treatment of AGA.