Why Doesnt Everyone With Hair Loss Use Propecia
The truth is, a lot of people have chosen not to use Propecia in their regime despite a large amount of scientific evidence indicating its ability to prevent hair loss. There are three main reasons for this: side effects, hassle, and cost.
Upfront Hassle
Nobody likes going to the doctor.
> > First you have to call your doctors office to schedule the appointment.
> > Then when the receptionist asks you the reason for your appointment. Indeed you have to tell him or her hair loss.
> > After that, you have to have a somewhat embarrassing conversation with your doctor.
> > Then of course visiting your local pharmacy for filling the prescription and subsequent refills.
You also have to fully come to terms with your condition and the facts. This can also be hard to do, it means accepting your hair loss isnt going to stop on its own and your hair is going to miraculously grow back.
Awkwardness
This one goes hand-in-hand with the upfront hassle. Hair loss is not a comfortable thing to talk about for most people enduring the condition.
Its almost like it is a taboo topic of conversation, and most people will think its funny even though it has a huge impact on the person who is experiencing it.
Health Concerns
Many people are worried about the side effects. This is a legitimate concern. While only about 2% experience negative side effects, no one wants to be one of those unlucky few. This is one of the reasons you should talk to your doctor about any concerns you have.
Cost
How Does It Work
Finasteride is a synthetic azo-steroid that works by inhibiting the activities of type II 5 alpha reductase . It is not an anti-androgen, but it instead binds to the enzyme and inhibits the natural conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone .
But why does this work?
Androgenetic alopecia, also referred to as pattern hair loss, is believed to be caused by a sensitivity to the androgen DHT. This sensitivity triggers follicle miniaturization when the androgen attaches to the follicles receptors and this, in turn, can lead to shedding and hair loss.
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Finasteride doesnt prevent testosterone or DHT from performing their necessary biological processes. However, it does reduce the amount of DHT present in the body which can be beneficial for those with AGA and similar conditions.
Studies On Propecia Side Effects In Women
There have been a few studies focused on using Propecia for reversing hair loss in women, with different results. A yearlong study from 2000 did not find Propecia was effective for women, but did also not find any negative side effects. The study involved 137 postmenopausal women who received 1 mg Propecia daily. More recent case studies have reached the conclusion that finasteride could be effective for female pattern hair loss if the dose was increased to between 2.5 mg and 5 mg daily.
A 2012 study designed to find the exact minimal effective dosage, used 1.25 mg daily for 28 weeks. This study concluded that while the treatment did show results, it was probably not the most efficient dosage. Patients showed increased hair density and hair loss stopped, but hair growth did not return. So while researchers have not found the optimal dosage, Propeciaâs role in female pattern hair loss is still controversial.
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Prescription Medication That Can Regrow Hair
Another treatment option is to take prescription medication. The type of medication prescribed will depend on your:
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Hair loss cause
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Expected results
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Plans for getting pregnant
With any medication, side effects are possible. Ask your dermatologist about possible side effects that you might experience while taking one of these medications to treat hair loss. The medications include:
Finasteride : The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved this medication to treat male pattern hair loss. When taken as directed, finasteride can:
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Slow down hair loss
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Stimulate new hair growth
Finasteride is a pill that you take once a day. Taking it at the same time each day seems to produce the best results.
Finasteride: Before and after
This man took finasteride to treat his male pattern hair loss, and within 1 year , he had noticeable improvement. After 2 years , he had regrown most of his hair.
Like other treatments for hair loss, this, too, takes time to work. It usually takes about 4 months to notice any improvement.
Finasteride tends to be more effective if you begin taking it when you first notice hair loss.A dermatologist may also prescribe this medication to treat a woman who has hereditary hair loss and cannot get pregnant.
If finasteride works for you, you will need to keep taking it to continue getting results. Once you stop, youll start losing hair again.Before taking this medication, be sure to discuss possible side effects with your dermatologist.
Does Finasteride Work For A Receding Hairline
Used by millions of men worldwide, finasteride is one of the few science-based medications on the market for preventing and, in some cases, reversing hair loss caused by male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia.
Finasteride helps halt hair loss by preventing the body from creating dihydrotestosterone , an androgen hormone that can damage hair follicles and cause male pattern baldness.
Because of the way finasteride works in your body, it should prevent you from losing hair at your hairline.
However, the prescribing information for finasteride usually focuses on the medications ability to stop hair loss on the crown .
Heres how finasteride works, as well as the impact it can have on hair loss that occurs around the hairline.
Learn how you can use finasteride to slow, stop or potentially reverse the effects of male pattern baldness.
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Other Treatments For Hair Loss
Currently, research is still ongoing into the effectiveness of finasteride as a treatment for female hair loss.
However, there are already several science-based options available for preventing hair loss and stimulating the growth of your hair. These include:
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Minoxidil. Right now, topical minoxidil is the only FDA-approved medication for hair loss in women. It comes in liquid or foam form and works by encouraging your hair follicles to enter into the anagen, or growth, phase of the hair growth cycle.
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Hair loss shampoo. Shampoos designed to stop hair shedding, such as hers Hair Loss Shampoo for Women, may help strengthen your hair and prevent it from building up in your shower drain or on your pillowcase.
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Hair growth vitamins. Although vitamins and minerals such as those in hers Multivitamin Gummies wont prevent female pattern hair loss, they do play a role in promoting healthy hair growth.
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Hair transplant surgery. This type of surgical procedure is used to treat severe forms of pattern hair loss. It involves moving hairs from the back and sides of your scalp to areas with noticeable hair loss, such as your part line.
Alternative Method To Get Propecia: Online Consultation
An alternative to scheduling an in-person appointment with a doctor is using a service such as Hims where you can schedule a consultation online and receive a prescription if youre qualified. This is less uncomfortable since you dont need to get face-to-face with a doctor and explain your hair loss woes. Before checking out and buying Finasteride from Hims youll take a medical consultation via an online assessment.
If youre interested in a prescription, they will match you with an independent physician. This physician will evaluate you and see if youre a qualified candidate for the prescription product. True enough, the success of their website is bolstered by clever and aesthetically pleasing branding.
But we think Hims went beyond visuals and found a way to remove a lot of friction from this rather embarrassing process. This would help explain why they have grown so quickly in popularity.
Hims The Complete Hair Kit
In addition to standalone finasteride, Hims offers a subscription service what they call The Complete Hair Kit featured above. This includes finasteride, shampoo, minoxidil, and hair vitamin.
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Why Is Propecia Not Designed For Women
Propecia or Finasteride works by stopping the male hormone testosterone from being converted into forms that cause the hair follicles to shrink. When Finasteride is activated, hair follicles should be able to go on naturally producing hair like before.
While women do carry the male hormone testosterone, taking Propecia has been found to have an adverse effect on male foetuses, and is not a recommended course of treatment for a woman. Women experiencing hair loss should seek other hair loss treatments more suited to them.
How Does Propecia Work
Using the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which is the enzyme involved in steroid metabolism, Propecia blocks the conversion of testosterone to the androgen Dihydrotestosterone . Testosterone is a hormone thats present in both men and women, though men typically have more testosterone present in their bodies. About 10 percent of testosterone in all adults is converted to DHT. However, testosterone is what contributes to growth in body hair.
DHT is a derivative of the male hormone testosterone, which signals to the hair follicle to undergo miniaturization, hair transplant surgeon at Ziering Medical, Dr. Rae Lynne Kinler, explains. Over time, this leads to a finer, thinner, lighter hair shaft, which progressively gets smaller until the follicle no longer produces a hair shaft.
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Why Isn’t Propecia Working For Me
Everyones bodies are different, and while one treatment might work for 1 person it may not work for another. If after 3-6 months of taking Propecia youve not seen any improvement in your hair loss, its worth speaking to your clinician. They will be able to advise what the best next steps are.
Regaine is a popular hair loss treatment. The active ingredient in Regaine helps to slow hair loss and encourage regrowth. Its usually applied to the head in a foam.
Changing Your Hair Care May Help
Some hairstyles and hair care habits can damage hair, leading to hair loss. If your dermatologist finds that this may be causing your hair loss, your dermatologist can recommend changes that will help you stop damaging your hair.
Youll find tips that dermatologists give their patients at:
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How Well Does Propecia Work
Last Updated on August 25, 2020 by Hold the Hairline Team
Does Propecia work? The answer is yes. If youre looking to halt your hair loss, this is one of the proven heavy hitters of hair loss prevention. Propecia is verified as a potent DHT-inhibitor, eliminating hair loss from the source of the problem. Estimations put the number of Americans at over one million with prescriptions for Propecia to counter their hair loss condition.
Before we get started, please keep in mind this is not medical advice, all decisions before taking a medication such as Propecia should be discussed with your doctor first.
Mens Rogaine an Alternative or Supplement to Propecia
Many people have had a great deal of success combining this drug with minoxidil and ketoconazole. Propecia works at the root of the problem, significantly decreasing DHT levels. Minoxidil stimulates new hair follicles growth via a topical application on the scalp. Ketoconazole cleanses the scalp, nuking any scalp DHT that wasnt first destroyed internally by Propecia.
These three treatments, when used together, are very effective at preventing further hair loss. Furthermore, it is even possible to regrow previously lost hair with Propecia.
In this informational page, we link to some of the most popular clinical studies done on Propecia hair loss treatment. We then discuss reasons people may take or not take the drug, our take on its validity as a hair loss solution, and the steps you need to take if you want to get it.
Combining Finasteride With Other Treatments
Some studies have shown that finasteride works in treating female pattern hair loss, but theres some controversy.
Theres some evidence that suggest that it only works well for men and is less effective in women, so you may want to discuss other treatment options with your physician. The good news is that there are other ways for you to deal with hair loss. Finasteride may be an effective treatment option for hair loss in women, but can consider using it in combination with other solutions as part of a comprehensive hair regrowth regimen.
Interested in other products besides Finasteride? Check out our reviewed products page here.
Do you have any experience with finasteride? Please comment below.
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Has Propecia Ever Been Tested On Female Hair Loss
Yes. Merck have clinically tested Propecia in postmenopausal women .
However, the study did not find Propecia to be effective in the treatment of female androgenetic alopecia.
A total of 137 women participated in the study. 67 received Propecia and 70 a placebo, for a period of one year. Hair count, patient self-assessment, photographic rating and investigator assessment were the measures used in the study. After 12 months, the women in the treatment group displayed no improvement compared to the placebo group in any of these measures.
Coping With Hair Loss
While losing hair at a young age may be concerning, hair loss is a reality for many people as they age. One study posted to the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology noted that up to 75% of females would experience hair loss from androgenetic alopecia by the time they are 65 years old.
While many females look for ways to treat hair loss while they are young, at some point, most people accept hair loss as a natural part of the aging process.
Some people may choose to wear head garments or wigs as a workaround to hair loss. Others work with their aging hair by wearing a shorter haircut that may make thin hair less apparent.
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Is There Anything Else You Want To Say About Propecia Male Baldness Or Hair Rejuvenation In General
There are many options to preserve and thicken hair, but Propecia is one of the best options. It works especially well when paired with other treatments and there are many preventative treatments out there that work well. It works best in existing areas of hair, and areas that are completely bald will need a more aggressive treatment, like a hair transplant.
As the highest-rated hair transplant company in Chicago, we encourage you to price shop around. We are confident that when the research is finished, the choice will be easy. If youre ready to get going, you can schedule a free consultation here.
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About The Risks And Sexual Side Effects Of Finasteride
There are several studies and surveys that Propecia skeptics claim call into question the drugs safety profile. None of these studies were nearly as large or exhaustive as the initial, FDA studies. But theyre worth looking at, nevertheless.
2015 Northwestern University Study
This study was essentially a review of 34 finasteride trials. It concluded that not one of those 34 published finasteride trials provided adequate information about the severity, frequency or reversibility of sexually adverse effects. Researchers found that adverse effects were not sufficiently graded in terms of their toxicity. According to the studys lead author Dr. Steven Belknap, people who take or prescribe the drug assume its safe, but there is insufficient information to make that judgment.
Potential Problem with this Study The lead researchers received direct funding from the Post-Finasteride Syndrome Association.
2011 Journal of Sexual Medicine Survey
This study essentially went viral in 2011 and really put Propecias safety profile into question.
Its very controversial, primarily because the studys lead researcher, Dr. Michael Irwig of George Washington University, recruited his subjects from an online Propecia support group.
In other words, the overwhelming majority of men involved in his survey were already having serious issues with the drug . So while the statistics are somewhat shocking at face value, theyre really not all that surprising. Irwig found that:
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