Hair Loss Treatment Online for Men — Express Assessment
Male-pattern hair loss has two treatments with real evidence behind them, and one of them needs a prescription. An EU-registered doctor reviews a 3-minute questionnaire, usually within 15 minutes, and prescribes finasteride 1 mg — alone or alongside minoxidil — if it is right for you and you know what to expect from it. €34.
- €34, one fixed fee
- Doctor review usually within 15 minutes
- Daily 7am–11pm CET
- 14 EU countries, no appointment
Finasteride 1 mg: the one that needs a doctor
It blocks the hormone that shrinks the follicles, stops loss in about nine men in ten and regrows hair in two-thirds — but it takes three to six months to show and only works while you take it.
Minoxidil: the one you can already buy
5% minoxidil foam or solution is sold at pharmacies without a prescription across most of the EU; the doctor tells you whether to use it, alone or with finasteride, and how.
Honest about side effects
Around one man in fifty reports lower libido or erection problems on finasteride, usually reversible on stopping. The questionnaire asks about this and about mood, so the decision is an informed one.
Hair loss treatment online — key facts
| Who it is for | Men 18 and over with male-pattern (androgenetic) hair loss — receding temples, thinning crown — that a doctor has diagnosed or that fits the pattern |
|---|---|
| Finasteride 1 mg daily | First-line in the European S3 guideline; halts progression in most men and regrows hair in many; results from 3–6 months, judged at 12 |
| Minoxidil 5% | Twice-daily solution or once-daily foam, sold without a prescription at pharmacies across most of the EU; works alone and adds to finasteride |
| Stopping | Whatever is gained is lost again within 6–12 months of stopping either treatment — this is long-term |
| Side effects | Finasteride: reduced libido, erection or ejaculation changes in roughly 1–2% each, occasionally low mood or, rarely, suicidal thoughts (stop and see a doctor if mood changes); it also halves the PSA (prostate) blood test reading, which a doctor checking your prostate needs to know |
| Not treated online | Women, patchy or sudden hair loss, redness, scaling or soreness of the scalp, hair loss with weight change or fatigue, anyone under 18 |
| Price and time | €34, one fee; an EU-registered doctor reviews the questionnaire usually within 15 minutes, daily 7am–11pm CET; several months' supply when the doctor agrees; full refund if it cannot be prescribed online |
What is the best hair loss treatment for men?
For male-pattern hair loss, two treatments have strong evidence: oral finasteride 1 mg daily, which blocks the hormone that shrinks the follicles and stops further loss in most men, and topical minoxidil 5%, which prolongs the growth phase. Used together they do best; results show after three to six months and last only while treatment continues. Patchy or sudden loss has other causes and needs a different assessment.
How to get hair loss treatment online — what happens after you press start
1. The questionnaire — about 3 minutes
It asks whether male-pattern baldness has been diagnosed, about any redness, flaking or soreness in the thinning areas, erectile difficulties or reduced libido. It also asks about blood pressure and cholesterol, other conditions, the medicines you take, allergies, whether you understand the possible side effects, and any treatment that has worked for you before.
2. The doctor's review
The doctor reads it personally. If it is male-pattern (androgenetic) loss and nothing in your answers argues against it, the doctor prescribes finasteride 1 mg daily and says whether to add minoxidil, how long before you should expect change, and what to do about side effects. A scalp that is red, scaly or sore, patchy loss, or a sudden shed points to something other than male-pattern baldness and needs to be seen — that goes to a video consultation, at no extra charge.
3. The pharmacy
The prescription appears in your Mobi Doctor profile in English, naming the active ingredient (finasteride), so a pharmacy you choose in any of the 14 EU countries can dispense the generic. You pay the pharmacy for the tablets; Mobi Doctor does not sell or dispense medicines.
Patchy or sudden hair loss, a sore, red or scaly scalp, hair loss in a woman, or thinning with tiredness or weight change? Book a video consultation instead — those need a different assessment.
Right for the Express Assessment if
- You are a man aged 18 or over with gradual thinning at the temples or crown
- Your scalp looks normal — no redness, scaling, soreness or bald patches
- You have read about finasteride's possible side effects and want to decide with a doctor
- You are in one of the 14 EU countries Mobi Doctor covers
Book a video consultation instead if
- You are a woman — female-pattern hair loss needs blood tests and a different treatment plan
- Round bald patches, or hair coming out in handfuls over weeks
- Redness, scaling, pus-filled spots, itching or soreness where the hair is thinning
- Hair loss alongside tiredness, weight change, or a recent illness, operation or new medicine
- You are trying to conceive with a partner and worried about finasteride — the doctor will talk it through
- You are under 18
List every medicine you take and answer each question fully — the doctor's decision depends on it. Your answers are confidential.
Prefer to listen? The Mobi Doctor podcast episode on hair loss.
Finasteride and minoxidil: the two hair loss treatments with evidence
Male-pattern hair loss is driven by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) acting on genetically sensitive follicles, which shrink with each cycle until they produce only fine, short hair. The European S3 guideline on androgenetic alopecia recommends two treatments for men. The first is oral finasteride 1 mg daily, which lowers scalp DHT by about 60% and stops further loss in roughly 90% of men, with visible regrowth in about two-thirds. The second is topical minoxidil 5%, which prolongs the growth phase and thickens hair regardless of hormones. Used together they do better than either alone. Both are judged at twelve months, not three: the first sign of success is that the loss stops, and regrowth follows slowly.
Finasteride works only while it is taken — stopping returns the follicles to their previous course within six to twelve months — and the same is true of minoxidil, so this is a long-term decision. Dutasteride, a stronger DHT blocker, is used by specialists in some countries but is not licensed for hair loss in most of the EU. A topical finasteride spray is licensed in several EU countries and produces far lower blood levels, and the doctor can say whether it is available where you are. Hair transplantation moves DHT-resistant follicles from the back of the head and is the only permanent option, and is usually combined with finasteride to protect the hair around it.
Why finasteride is prescription-only in the EU
In every one of the 14 EU countries finasteride is prescription-only, whether the 1 mg hair-loss tablet or the 5 mg prostate tablet. A doctor should confirm the diagnosis, exclude the causes of hair loss that finasteride will not help, and make sure you understand the side effects before you commit to years of it. Minoxidil is different: the 5% foam and solution are sold without a prescription at pharmacies across most of the EU, so the doctor's role there is advice — which strength, how often, and how to judge whether it is working. Websites selling finasteride with no questions asked are also the ones most often selling counterfeit tablets.
Finasteride side effects: the facts, not the forums
In the trials that led to its licence, sexual side effects — lower libido, difficulty with erections, less semen — occurred in about 4% of men on finasteride 1 mg against about 2% on placebo (a difference of roughly one man in fifty), and resolved in most men who stopped, and in many who continued. Low mood, depressive symptoms and, rarely, suicidal thoughts have been reported since — the EMA advises stopping finasteride and seeing a doctor if your mood changes — and men with a history of depression should say so in the questionnaire. Persistent symptoms after stopping have been described and are the subject of continuing study; they are uncommon, but the doctor will not pretend they do not exist. Finasteride roughly halves the PSA blood-test result, so any doctor checking your prostate needs to know you take it. The tablets must not be handled by a pregnant woman, because the active ingredient can affect a male fetus — an intact, coated tablet is not a risk, a broken one is — and a man whose partner is or may be pregnant should use a condom, since a trace passes into semen.
What to expect month by month
Months one to three: nothing visible, and sometimes a brief increase in shedding as follicles reset — this is not a sign of failure, and stopping now is the commonest mistake. Months three to six: loss slows and stops; the hair you have looks denser. Months six to twelve: regrowth at the crown first, the hairline last. At twelve months the doctor and you judge the result from photographs taken in the same light; if there is no change at all by then, the diagnosis is revisited rather than the dose increased. Minoxidil follows the same timetable and is applied to a dry scalp, with hands washed afterwards.
Using the prescription at a pharmacy anywhere in the EU
The prescription is issued in English by an EU-registered doctor, names the active ingredient rather than a brand, and carries a verification code the pharmacist can check at mobidoctor.eu/verify. A prescription issued in one EU country must be recognised in another (Directive 2011/24/EU); the active-ingredient name is what makes that work at the counter. Dispensing is the pharmacist's decision under the rules of the country you are in, and depends on the medicine being available there. If you need a supply covering several months, say so in the questionnaire — the doctor decides the quantity. Generic finasteride 1 mg is stocked by pharmacies across the EU and is far cheaper than the original brand. The other conditions the Express Assessment covers — 13 in all, plus repeat prescriptions — are listed on the online doctor prescription page.
Read the full male-pattern hair loss guide: symptoms, causes, tests and treatment
Sources: European Dermatology Forum — guidelines and consensus statements · Kanti V. et al., Evidence-based (S3) guideline for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in women and in men — short version, JEADV 2018
Start Express Assessment — €34 About 3 minutes to complete.
Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
Hair loss treatment online — your questions answered
Medical Build Order
About 3 minutes of questions — then the doctor takes over. No waiting room.