Finasteride Results: What to Expect from Hair Loss Treatment
Hair loss is one of our most prominent issues, especially after our prime. Many hair loss remedies and treatments are available for treating hair loss, but either they are expensive or have some adverse side effects. What are the results you can expect from
Finasteride?
Some treatments require many compromises during the treatment period to be effective. And with a heavy heart, all we can do is compromise and wait for the results. Hair loss is scary and a sign that you are getting older. Also, the treatment cost is too high and not very promising.
Various treatments, such as hair restoration, laser hair transplant, and hairpieces, can be used. Still, all of them are disruptive in one or more ways. How about a hair loss remedy that is less disruptive and has been promised to prevent hair loss and, in some cases, even grow it back up to a specific limit? Yes, there is a solution that is less disruptive and more promising. One can use Finasteride to address hair loss.
Finasteride is a drug approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and can be used orally to treat hair loss. Topical finasteride is to be approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Still, it's shallow in concentration when combined with other products.
Almost 85% of men in the United States are believed to be affected by Androgenic alopecia, also known as androgenetic alopecia or pattern baldness, by the time they turn 50.
In androgenic alopecia, a pattern is observed and predicted for how hair loss occurs. At first, the hair loss starts over the temples and appears in a pattern resembling the letter M on the forehead. With time, hair loss occurs gradually, leading to total baldness only if you have not yet gone bald earlier. This type of hair loss is genetic and caused by hormones known as Androgens.
However, various treatments can be applied to remedy this. Still, one of the most popular, promising, and less disruptive in comparison to other methods is a pill that can be popped once a day for a certain amount of time. The pill is Finasteride and must be taken on a prescription and must be taken orally.
What Causes Hair Loss in Men?
In androgenic alopecia, also known as male pattern hair loss, hair loss occurs in a particular order. The event is entirely predictable in how hair loss will take place. It begins at the temples and forms an M-shaped pattern on the forehead. Then, gradually, it would lead to total hair loss and make one bald. This is caused by hormones named androgens, and it is genetic.
The testosterones get converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The increased proportion of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and the enzyme 5-alpha reductase are responsible for hair loss and reduced hair growth.
As the growth cycle of hair is shortened, it will lead to follicular miniaturisation, which means hair thinning or baldness. It would cause the hair follicle to constrict, thereby decreasing hair growth and making a bald spot or thinner hairs grow.
It becomes difficult to replace the thin or shredded hairs with new ones. Eventually, there will be no replacement hairs at all. This would cause the new hairline to inch back.
Is Finasteride Effective for Hair Regrowth?
Finasteride was declared the viable solution to treat male-pattern baldness. The researchers noticed two things:
- 83% of men who took the pill in the clinical trial stopped suffering from hair loss due to drug intake.
- 63% of men who took the pill for two years had grown their hair back if they popped it daily for two years.
Finasteride, when tested in comparison to other drugs, is more effective. It cures the male pattern of baldness incredibly by attacking the root cause of the problem and not by some temporary solutions.
Men who took Finasteride showed a hair growth rate of 18 hairs per square centimetre in the growth period, in contrast to those in the placebo group who lost nine hairs per square centimetre.
This research received approval from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Finasteride has been used as a drug for hair loss treatment and has been effective since then.
How Finasteride Works to Treat Hair Loss
Finasteride stops the problem at its root, prevents hair loss, and improves hair growth. It stops testosterone from being converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
As the proportion of dihydrotestosterone is under control, hair loss is reduced. It would not lead to miniaturisation of the follicle; thus, new hairs can grow quickly.
New hair has grown that can replace the shredded or thin hair; thus, the new hairline will increase by some inches.
Finasteride is used to treat male pattern baldness in most men by reducing the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on the scalp.
Medical research suggests that 1mg of finasteride would reduce the amount of dihydrotestosterone in the scalp by more than 60 percent.
How Long to Take Finasteride for Best Results
Finasteride has promising results, but to achieve these, one has to be consistent with the intake of the medicine. It isn't a magic pill that will cure your baldness.
It is so designed that it can reduce hair loss and improve hair growth in the most disruptive way. Hence, it needs to be taken with a commitment to achieve the desired and promised results.
Loss of grown hair must be expected within a year after you stop popping the pills.
But avoiding having a pill shouldn't be an option if you want your hair to grow back to normal and avoid bald spots or total baldness. There are no changes to be made either in diet or in the routine for the intake of pills.
One needs to pop a pill daily, and its effects would be visible within 12 to 14 weeks after the first pill. Sometimes, it might take a bit more time, but changes would be visible in hair loss and growth.
Finasteride Results Timeline: What to Expect Month by Month
| Timeframe | Expected Results |
|---|---|
| Week 1–4 | No visible change; finasteride |
| Week 6–12 | Reduction in hair shedding |
| Month 3–6 | Visible hair regrowth, thicker hair |
| Month 6–12 | Improved density, slower recession |
| After 12 Months | Maximum benefits visible |
| If Stopped | Hair loss may resume within 12 months |
Finasteride vs Minoxidil: Benefits of Using Both
Research comparing finasteride to minoxidil suggests that 80 percent of men who took finasteride experienced hair regrowth. Within three months, changes were observable. At the same time, only 52 percent of men who took minoxidil could enjoy similar outcomes.
Also, men who used a mixture of finasteride and didexidil had better results than those who used either finasteride or didexidil. Finasteride and minoxidil can be combined in various ways and concentrations for prescription use.
Hence, oral finasteride is given in combination with topical minoxidil. Topical means that it could be applied to the skin or mucous membrane and then enter the body. And the research also supports that both work hand in hand and yield better results.
In a way, the minoxidil helps finasteride be absorbed into the body.
Is Finasteride Safe? Side Effects and Safety Insights
Finasteride is designed to be as minimally disruptive as possible and is found to cure the pattern of baldness in almost all men. However, many men who use finasteride to treat male pattern baldness problems have faced specific side effects, such as sexual and other side effects.
In clinical trials, nearly 1.3 per cent of males had experienced erectile dysfunction, 1 per cent of men experienced decreased libido, and 1.2 per cent of men experienced ejaculation disorder.
Breast tenderness or enlargement, rashes, depression, anxiety, testicular pain, and neurological issues such as mental fogginess are other prominent side effects. However, few men suffer from the side effects.
As said, 1mg of finasteride is sufficient to treat hair loss. But if the dosage is increased to 5mg of finasteride per cent of men, compared to 1.0 per cent of men on a placebo, have a higher risk of suffering from High-Grade Prostate Cancer.
Though this is more likely in men over 55, I want to point out that this side effect occurs only when a higher dosage than 1mg is prescribed.
If you are taking finasteride and experiencing one of the above side effects, the best advice is to consult your physician and not neglect it. The physician will later suggest changes in dosage or whether the intake of finasteride affects the patient.
Finasteride Prescriptions and Hair Loss Support from Mobi Doctor
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