Receding hairlines: Does Finasteride help?

Finasteride can prevent hair loss. In some cases, it can reverse hair loss. But will it have this effect on a receding hairline? The answer is yes, for most men, finasteride will help regarding hair loss at the hairline. This is the exact type of condition finasteride is prescribed for.

Not everyone responds to Finasteride, but many men do. In a 2 year study, 48% of men showed improvement after one year of taking finasteride and 66% after two years, compared to 7% on placebo. This is regarding new hair growth, or as you might say, regrowth of hair that used to be balding.

In men with vertex hair loss, global photographs showed improvement in hair growth in 48% of finasteride recipients at 1 year and in 66% at 2 years compared with 7% of placebo recipients at each time point.

What about simply maintaining hair that is currently falling out? Finasteride does better there, with 83% of users of finasteride no longer losing hair, compared to 28% on placebo. From the same study:

Furthermore, hair counts in these men showed that 83% of finasteride versus 28% of placebo recipients had no further hair loss compared with baseline after 2 years.

How does Finasteride work?

Testosterone is converted by the body into dihydrotestosterone, better known as DHT. While DHT causes hair growth on most of your body, it has the opposite effect on your scalp. DHT damages hair follicles on your scalp (in men who have male pattern baldness), causing them to stop producing hair. Finasteride works by reducing the amount of testosterone which is converted to DHT. One study found that 1mg of finasteride per day is able to reduce DHT in the scalp by over 60%.

Scalp skin DHT levels declined significantly by 13.0% with placebo and by 14.9%, 61.6%, 56. 5%, 64.1%, and 69.4% with 0.01, 0.05, 0.2, 1, and 5 mg doses of finasteride, respectively. Serum DHT levels declined significantly (P <.001) by 49.5%, 68.6%, 71.4%, and 72.2% in the 0.05, 0.2, 1, and 5 mg finasteride treatment groups, respectively.

How fast does Finasteride work?

Finasteride requires a commitment to achieve the desired result of regrowing or preventing hair loss. While you may begin seeing some limited results after three months of use, it can take up to a year to begin seeing the kind of results you hope for. It can take up to two years to see the maximum results that finasteride can produce. This is because it takes hair a long time to regrow.

Likewise, it takes hair a while to fall out. If you discontinue taking finasteride, the hair you regrew might not fall out again for another year after you discontinue taking it.

What happens if I stop taking Finasteride?

When you stop taking finasteride, the natural processes in the body that originally caused hair loss will resume. Your body will begin producing DHT in larger amounts than when on finasteride, once again. This will take time to accumulate in the scalp. Your hair will not instantly fall out, it will take time for hair follicles to degrade and stop producing hair due to the increased levels of DHT.

Is Finasteride more effective than Minoxidil?

One study found that finasteride was more effective than minoxidil. It found that 80% of men had an increased intensity of hair with finasteride, compared to only 52% who used a 5% topical minoxidil.

In the clinical evaluation at the endpoint of treatment, the clinical cure rates (i.e. increased intensity of hair) were 80% (32/40) for the oral finasteride group and 52% (13/25) for the 5% topical minoxidil group.

Rare, but serious, side effects

People who take finasteride have the potential of seeing sexually-related side effects, namely a significant reduction in libido. A vast majority of people who experience this unfortunate side effect will regain their libido after they discontinue using finasteride. A very small percent, however, will not. There is a small percentage of people who take finasteride and experience a loss of libido that does not recover for months or years (even after discontinuing using finasteride).

What is Propecia?

Finasteride is the generic chemical responsible for restoring hair and preventing it from falling. The branded version is called Propecia. Both drugs work exactly the same. Propecia, being branded, is typically more expensive than generic finasteride.

How can I buy Finasteride online?

You can buy finasteride here at UK Meds, as well as branded Propecia. This drug requires a prescription. If you already have one, you can order from UK Meds. If you don't, our online doctor's service can help you get a prescription online, if they deem it a proper treatment for your condition. Simply add the product to your shopping cart and check out, and our system will guide you to the next step to fill your order.