I have been taking propecia for a year now, I am currently twenty. Propecia has worked wonders to regrow hair all over my head, including the temples. My question is, and I know results vary, but on average do young patients that use propecia long term continue to retain the majority of their hair over the long term, ten-plus years. I know that at some level it will continue to work, but what has been your experience? Do young people retain a significant amount of their hair over the long term?
It all depends upon what your rate of genetic hair loss will be and the degree of balding you may undergo. At 20 years old, it is almost impossible to determine this.
Now with that said, I just saw a 20 year old male with a full Norwood Class 5 pattern hair loss. He has miniaturization through the remaining hair and although he was not treated with finasteride prior to seeing me today, I discouraged surgery on him at this time until he had a year’s course of finasteride. His hair density was lower than average, which tells me that his long term supply of hair will be limited and when he gets the surgery, he will probably be limited to a frontal restoration only (based upon his low density). I am hoping that Propecia will help him, but I strongly recommended that he take the decision process slowly and have his parents come in with him when I see him again in a year or so.
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Just givin my thoughts of “young men” taking PROPECIA and older guys.
I think indeed it makes a BIG difference if you’re young and taking FIN or if you’re older and taking FIN. The effectivenes is much higher when you’re younger compared to when you’re older. I’ll explain why:
As far as i’ve always seen and read, young men have a higher level of testosterone in their body than older ones. From puberty (or beginningtwenties – not sure)the amount of testosteron in the male body just goes down and down. While it goes down over the years, this also causes the fact men tend to get a lower sexdrive and eventually can develop erectile disfunction if their levels get quite low (and need viagra to get some “action”)
The way propecia works is blocking about 70% of the DHT in the male body. Since young men have a HIGHER AMOUNT of DHT, blocking 70% will mean MORE DHT is blocked than when you have lower amounts of DHT/testosteron. This means the effect of taking proecia in younger men is higher than it will be for an older man. If the same guy takes FINA for a year when he’s 20, it will show better and more results than when the same man takes FINA for a year when he is 30. After all, the actual AMOUNT of DHT he is blocking is different. By the time he is 30, the amount of DHT in his body is lower, so blocking 70% of it just means blocking smaller amounts of DHT. Smaller differences in DHT, simply means smaller differences in the progression of hairloss
Also are the CHANCES of side effects in older men higher than in younger men. Young men have so much testosteron and DHT, that if they block 70% of the DHT, their DHT levels will drop alot, but remain acceptable enough to have a sexdrive and get an erection. However, their sexdrive will problably get lower and their erections weaker. Maybe so little they will not notice it, but theoreticly it will lower your sexdrive etc.
So i would advice any young man that SHOWS any sign of balding (even just a very little bit recession or getting slightly thinner) to start with propecia as soon as possible. These are the years most harm is done to the hair, so protecting it now will get you alot more results than when you’re older. Don’t deny it till you get a bald patch and are a norwood 3. Start taking fina when you’re starting to receide towards a 2 or just when you’re noticing your hairline getting less defined
I’m 28 now and about 1.5 years ago I noticed my hairline was less ‘defined’than before. It seemed the frontal hairs were getting shorter, so as soon as I found out, I immidiately went to the doctor to go on propecia. Since I was not receiding but just noticing some ‘thinner’hair in the very frontal zone, all the shoter and thinner hairs now have developed back into thicker hairs and my hairline is very defined again now (maybe not as defined as before but I’m “only”taking fina for a little less than a year).
I know that eventually the hairloss will continue, but I think half of the damage of hairloss is done when your under 40. So start as soon as you notice anything! Don’t think it’s not a problem now , because it is indeed not a problem if it’s just a little receiding or what not. The problem is that you let it continue to a point where it WILL bother you and at that time your DHT levels are lower than now and propecia will be LESS EFFECTIVE than now. Don’t see it as a ’super vanity thing’, but see it as brushing your teeth. You do not start brushing them when your teeth are about to fall out. It’s always better to prevent !
(However: make sure your hairloss is actually male pattern baldness by visiting a doctor about this. But don’t let them send you home without propecia because it’s ‘just a little bit balding’yet, because you will REGRET IT LATER ON.
Ok guys, those are just my 2 cents (or 10) lol