Day: January 1, 2023

Posted on

Propecia Is Working in the Hairline, But Not on the Top of the Scalp

Thank you for listening. I have been taking Propecia for a little over 10 months now, and it seems as if it is having a strange effect. It seems that it has started to rebuild my hairline, which was receding somewhat with moderate miniaturization. Alas, it has not shown any results in the vertex/top of scalp. Have you heard of this before? I’m merely curious as to whether this is common. Thanks for your time.

What you are experiencing is not common, but it does happen. Hair loss varies in individuals and by location in the scalp. Experience has shown that the drug works best in areas where the hair loss is most recent. Is that what you are seeing?

Posted on

Propecia is Working — Are My Results Normal or Bad?

I’m 22 years old with early frontal hair loss confirmed with a miniaturization test. Right now I’m a NW2 but going up if I don’t stop this. I’m 5 ½ months into treatment with Propecia and nothing got worse since being on it. For the past 2 months I see way less hairs in the shower and during styling. And now I noticed a little thickening in the left side of my mid anterior which is good. But at the same time I noticed very little loss in the right side of my mid anterior as well. What is going on? Is this normal or very bad? This got me totally freaked.

We do not bald evenly, and if you are experiencing regrowth from Propecia it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that it isn’t thickening the hair perfectly even, either. Don’t get freaked out, this is normal.


2009-01-08 11:04:58Propecia is Working — Are My Results Normal or Bad?

Posted on

Propecia is One of the World’s Most-Faked Drugs?

Hi
I sent you the fake Propecia press release a month ago. Here is another short article dating back to 2007 about people stopping finasteride thinking it didn’t work for them when they were taking a placebo after all.

Thousands Of Men Sold Fake Propecia

The article states, “Propecia is one of the world’s most copied drugs and it is an extremely easy drug to sell online as many men to feel embarrassed to go to a doctor to speak about their hair loss problem. The Propecia drug works for about 90 percent of men.”

And it continues, “It is estimated that thousands of men around the world have stopped using Propecia believing that it doesn’t work for them when in fact if they had used a real version of Propecia made by the drug company Merck they would have experienced good results and possibly hair regrowth.”

I’m not sure where those estimates came from, and seeing as how the article is a couple years old by now, the problem might even be worse, regardless of attempts to thwart it. Thanks for sending this in, along with the previous article you sent.

Posted on

Propecia is Making My Face Age

Hello,

What do you know about the connection between finasteride (or DHT inhibition in general) and reduced collagen production, or premature aging and wrinkle formation? I have browsed some studies that seem to suggest inhibiting DHT also inhibits collagen production, leading me to believe Propecia could be responsible for my hollow, prematurely aging 23 year old face. (I’ve been taking finasteride for almost 5 years).

I realize this is a site to discuss and post hair loss related topics and its treatments, but Propecia is not the root of all your problems. You are 23 years old and you think Propecia is causing you to have premature aging?

To be clear, I am not suggesting Propecia is or is not the cause of what you are experiencing. However, I think there are many other factors that would definitely cause MORE symptoms of an aging look other than Propecia. Such factors include excessive sun exposure, drinking, smoking, marijuana use, drug use, partying too much, not enough sleep… in other words, many of the things a young man in their 20’s would be partaking in. I don’t know enough about your routine or habits to speculate further.

Posted on

Propecia Is Growing Hairs, But Can I Still Have a Transplant?

Hi Dr. Rassman! Propecia is slowly regrowing some hair on the front half of my head, and even a few in the hairline. If I were to get a transplant to “fill in the gaps” one the new hair is regrown, will it go through shock loss or should the Propecia protect it like it usually does?

Yes, you can have a hair transplant to the balding area while you are being treated with Propecia. The drug should prevent shock hair loss if you do have the surgery, but the timing of transplants should be tied to a Master Plan which will ensure your long term results. The timing includes just how much of the balding area is transplanted and this depends upon not only the donor density, but the size of the balding area now (and in the future) as defined by a good mapping of your scalp for miniaturization. I cannot answer your specific question as it applies to your problem without an examination, because really it depends on:

  • Your expectations.
  • The degree of miniaturization you currently have and the extent of that miniaturization process.
  • The length of time treated with minoxidil and/or finasteride.

Your worst case scenario should be put in front of you, and this will depend upon your age, your expectations, possible donor scarring for strip harvesting, your family history and who you take after, etc. Get the point?

Posted on

Propecia Info on the Internet Has Me Worried!

Hello dear doc,

I’ve been studying www.propeciahelp.com for a while and I must say I’m a bit worried about finasteride.

The users of that board have got side effects from finasteride use that won’t let go, even though the treatment has stopped.

If these side effects are due to finasteride or other factors, I do not know, but I think it’s worth a discussion.

When one hears or reads that with the drug stopped, sexual dysfunction continues for weeks or months, I just do not know how to respond to your probe here. I would think that if it were a common problem, I would see it in my practice and I can report that maybe one patient talked about sexual dysfunction taking about a month to get back to normal. That is one out of thousands of patients I’ve personally seen. So I wonder if there is a secondary agenda suggested. Did any of these men with sexual dysfunction (real ED or libido problems) have these problem before they started with finasteride? I am not saying that it does not happen, but I can respond to my experience, which is substantial.

Posted on

Propecia, Hair Removal, and Travel Discount?

Hi Doc,

Couple questions:

  1. Is 37 too late to take propecia (I hear its less effective as we get older)?
  2. I suffer an ironic twist of fate – have too much body hair (back, shoulder, chest, etc) and thinning head hair (MPB). Can I use FUE to remove the body hair (even if I dont want to use it on my head – i.e. just want to permanently get rid of it).
  3. Finally, if I am travelling to visit your clinic for a procedure from an international location, is there any rebate/discount?

Thx!

  1. 37 years old is not too late for finasteride use, but you are correct, the drug tends (not always) to work better in the younger man in his 20s, rather than older men above 40.
  2. Taking out body hair with FUE instrumentation is expensive and unnecessary as there are good hair lasers that accomplish this better, faster, and less expensively.
  3. Yes, we do offer travel reimbursement for all patients coming from out of town. See details here.


2009-06-02 09:29:06Propecia, Hair Removal, and Travel Discount?

Posted on

Propecia for Women

a short while ago, you answered a question on the use of Propecia in women. It was your feeling that this drug is not indicated in women, yet some doctors are using it in women. Are there any indications for female Propecia use?

There is no long term studies on safety in women for Propecia, but there are certain conditions that cause a woman to make a great deal of male hormones and as such, may actually develop a male patterned hair loss. In these diseases and only in a woman past child bearing years, a trial of Propecia may be indicated, but the patient must be made aware of the possible appearance of conditions that ‘theoretically’ may develop which could impact the breast, uterine and ovarian organs. For example, cancer risks have never been studied when a women is placed on Propecia and those women who are genetically prone to breast, uterine or ovarian cancer may find themselves at greater risk.

Posted on

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) Cost Varies

We called around the Los Angeles area.
Only Costco appears to have lowered their prices to an affordable rate.
Costco and Target still offer a year supply of 5mg pills for $27 (90 pills, or $9 for #30) This works out to 360 day supply or less than $3 a month.
Finasteride 5mg is still the least expensive option for those who are willing to cut the pill in equivalent dosing.

All prices below reflect generic 1mg finasteride as of October 2014

Costco:
#30: $16.37
#90: $36.89

Target:
#30: $83.00
#90: $249.00

Ralphs:
#30: $59.29
#90: $177.79

Walgreens:
#30: $81.99
#90: $233.89

Rite-Aid:
#30: $72.00
#90: $186.00

CVS:
#30: $69.99
#90: $209.99