Finasteride peaks at about 18 months and then plateaus or hair loss may pick up at a slower rate. This depends upon your age and your genetic hair loss pattern. See an expert physician who specializes in hair loss and get a good Master Plan for your future, as hair loss is progressive in ALL men.
2020-01-30 04:00:252019-12-05 13:09:29When Does Finasteride Regrowth Peak?
I am very confused by one of your answers. You said Testosterone levels peak in the morning, but everything else I read says they peak at night. Is this just a mistake on your part?
It’s no mistake on my part. Testosterone levels peak in the morning, drop through the day, and then rise in the evening. Further reading here (PDF).
After using topical minoxidil for about 6 months, I switched to 1mg finasteride daily due to palpitation problems. It has been more than 1 year in total. The shedding has decreased a lot (thank God) but there is no new hair growth from the shedding areas. Bald areas are covered with feather-like hair but there is no progress. I am 44 years old and now I am seriously considering hair transplantation. Do you think it can be improved with medication or should I turn to transplantation?
If you have developed a Personalized Master Plan with your doctor and you are over 25 without effective medical treatment and more progressive balding, then maybe it is time to have a discussion with a good hair transplant doctor who cares for his patients above making a ‘transplant sale.’
Hi Dr.,
You’ve mentioned in previous posts that you don’t know of any new hair loss treatment drugs coming out in the next few years. How far in advance did you know about Propecia coming to market before it was available to the public?
Thank you
I assumed Propecia would be coming to market after it was approved by the US FDA for clinical use in December, 1997. It made it to pharmacy shelves the following month. There had been rumblings of finasteride being a hair loss treatment for many years before this (it was FDA approved as a prostate medication in June, 1992), but I had no way of knowing its approval status as a hair loss treatment until the rest of the world did after the announcement was made. There are drugs with hair growth as side effects that aren’t marketed as such, but I don’t know which of those will end up approved to treat hair loss, if any.
2010-03-09 12:33:112010-03-05 11:24:01When Did You Know Propecia Was Coming to Market?
I had fue into strip scar, 300 grafts were implanted to the scar. I slept 17 nights on my stomach post-op. I’m aware of the graft anchoring study from 06, but it was on a virgin scalp. My question is that was that 17 nights post-op enough for the grafts to secure in the scar? My doc said one week is enough and then I can start to sleep normally. The grafts were all singles and doubles. I’m white male, 26yrs.
I agree with your doctor. A week should’ve been fine. Once the eschars are gone, the grafts are stable.
2012-07-18 08:50:092012-07-17 10:16:27When Can I Stop Sleeping On My Stomach After Having FUE Into My Strip Scar?
Finasteride usually start quickly by reducing shedding and then stopping or slowing the hair loss in a few months. Reversal, if it is to occur, will happen between 4-18 months. Some men don’t ever see new growth and have to accept slowing the loss of stopping the hair loss. A few men will find increased shedding when they start taking finasteride. This is a sign that it is working so i tell these men not to worry, just be patient.
We generally think that people who have developed advanced balding and the skin has become ‘atrophic’ which means very thin with no fat (almost tissue paper thin) for many years, that the hairs that were originally there are no longer alive. We believe that the stem cells that produced hairs have died off in these people. But if you are under 35, you may not be in this category. The presence of miniaturization is very hopeful with the right medication and possibly new medications on the horizon
2020-08-13 03:24:072020-08-08 09:54:32When are the hairs in the head truly dead?
Hey, I just want to take a second to thank Dr. Rassman for all of the time that he puts into this blog in helping young men as myself in looking for solutions to hair loss. I just want to explain something for a second.
First of all im 20 years old, have been losing my hair for some time. For all the time I put looking for answers to stop my receding pattern, people like me seem to be just wasting their time. I have been on finasteride for two years, and from the looks of my head, it seems as if I have no more options. I come to this blog out of desperation to hopefully find a “miracle cure” that will hopefully one day regrow the little fibers of youth that have slowly destroyed any bit of self confidence I once had. Im afraid that I have put countless hours a week researching baldness and still can find no answer in how to stop this.
How do people like me… when all fails…deal with this situation?…because it seems to me like the answer that makes the most sense is to just give up. It is most certainly wrong that young men, barely out of high school, will not face judgement and humiliation from this. In my case, I am embarrased to say that this little problem has turned into one big life crisis. A couple of years ago I was a pretty good looking kid. Now I cant jump into a pool without my scalp showing for everyone to point fun at. Two years ago I was happy…now im just depressed
If I’m going on a little rant here im sorry, but im just desperate I’m afraid. In reality, is there any hope for the guys like us, who seem to see thier youth crumbling, and confidence fading?
You’re not alone in feeling this way. Unfortunately, we don’t have all the answers and there is no cure for hair loss. It’s possible that a hair transplant could be in your future… but you need to find a caring doctor who can work with you on a Master Plan addressing hair loss possibilities.
Hi Dr Rassman, I have an important question for you regarding the study of hair grafts you conducted with Dr Bernstein in 2006. The study states that the Dr. Was able to tell when the growth center for the hair had been pulled out by looking at what he pulled out by eye.
My question is this:
- how do you physically identify when the growth center has been pulled out?
- Is there always blood?
- Does bloody mean that the centre has been removed for certain?
- If a hair comes out and there is a dried out “bulb” shaped skin on the end of the scalp, does that mean that the graft has been lost or the graft was a dead one?
- did this study account for partially loose scabs?
After about 4 to 5 days, some of my scabs started to loosen…i started to gently brush some of them with my fingers and some of them were loosely stuck by a strand of skin, which I pulled gently with enough force to remove the scab. My question is this-
- how can I identify when I have pulled out a growth centre and when I haven’t?
- Do you think there was a good chance that I pulled a graft out?
- Lastly, your study includes 18 gauge needles only. What is the standard size needle use or what range sized needles do you use?
Thanks so much for your time and thanks for the study!!!
Firstly, here is the article you referenced, as originally published in Dermatologic Surgery in 2006 — Graft Anchoring In Hair Transplantation — PDF file or HTML
Your email is not clearly written, but I think that you are asking about the hairs we pulled out on varying days after surgery to determine if the graft growth center was left behind. To answer that question, we asked the pathologist to identify the critical parts of the hair that determines growth (the bulge area near the sebaceous gland in particular) and this would include all parts of the hair and what is called the dermal sheath. If this was pulled out, we could safely assume the the graft would not grow. This was not done with the naked eye, but rather by the pathologist under the microscope. By having a specialist look at the grafts that were pulled out, we had an impartial expert make the judgments. I hope that this answers your questions.
With regard to your other questions, please read the article carefully, as we put it all there. Without a microscope and experience, you probably would not be able to tell the status and that is why we put the article together, to be able to guess what is really happening. When the scab is present on the surface, it is likely that the graft growth center can come out.
Hello, We’re wondering about the difference between Rogaine for men, & Rogaine for women. Also, it would seem that by now something would be developed that you wouldn’t have to use twice a day, also something less sticky…
In today’s world of hi-tech advances (Latisse is one, & what a blessing for men/women who have had surgery), that something would come along that grows hair much easier.Just wondering…
Thank you
Rogaine is a brand name for a topical formulation of a generic drug named minoxidil meant for topical application to the scalp (for hair growth). It comes in 5% strength for men and 2.5% strength for women and is available without a doctor’s prescription (over the counter). I’ve written about the ingredient differences before here.
Some formulations are very sticky, as you imply, and others are not. It all depends on the preparation of how it is mixed and packaged. The brand name Rogaine also comes in a foam and it is not sticky at all, but I believe it is slightly more expensive. In summary, there is consumer choice available to each of you and some experimenting with what is available maybe a good idea. All drugs have their limitations.
