I am having good results from taking finasteride but I understand that dutasteride is a better DHT blocker. Should I switch?
Dutasteride has a risk of sterility and some studies suggest that increases insulin resistance and NAFLD. There is also a bigger is the risk of gynecomastia compared to fin 1 mg? The sterility and insulin problems have not been reported with finasteride and considering that you have good results with finasteride, I would not suggest that you switch?.
I had a hair transplant about a 2 years ago, mostly around my temperal area and a minimal amount in the very front of my hairline.
I have a question about scarring. My donor scar is fine and doesn’t bother me, but where each hair was transplanted the skin is raised just slightly so it’s like i have very tiny little bumps all over my temples and the front of my hairline. They are tiny enough that i assume most people never notice, but if I look in bright lighting I feel that it’s very obvious, at least to me.
I figured they would become less raised over time, but they are still there. I have become self conscious about being under bright overhead lights and even about being outside when the sun is bright without a hat. It’s really messing with my head, no pun intended. But seriously, it’s taking quite a toll on my self esteem.
Is there anything I can do that would just smooth the little tiny bumps, like laser therapy? or would that just make things worse and remove hair?
Any advice would be very greatly appreciated.
This problem was common in the old days, when doctors placed larger grafts in the transplant area. Your doctor may have left too much skin on the graft surface and had them elevated at the time of the transplant surgery.
Lasers to the skin might kill off the hair. Dermabrasion will probably discolor the skin in the area that it is abraded. I have seen many examples of people who had scalp skin abrasion. I would think that careful ‘shaving’ of the bump would reduce or eliminate the bumps, but this would have to be done by an expert in the field and it would be a tedious procedure under local anesthesia. You would likely have to have your head hair brought down to skin level (shaved close) to get the bumps addressed.
2007-12-21 13:33:502007-12-17 15:17:52Each Transplanted Graft Is Slightly Raised — What Can I Do?
The side effects between Dutasteride vs Finasteride are about the same but Dutasteride is not FDA cleared for safety and effectiveness at least officially (Click to enlarge).
There are a significant number of men who report an increased sexual drive on Finasteride, possibly as many as who report the opposite. Dutasteride causes more sexual side effects, but it is not well documented because it has not undergone the scrutiny of rigorous FDA studies. I don’t recommend Dustasteride for my patients for these very reasons.
2018-05-29 08:33:022018-05-29 13:07:00Dutasteride vs Finasteride (From Reddit)
Hi, My son, who is 23, has very thin hair on top of his head and a high forehead. He tried avacore and it’s hard to say if it helped or not. He has very thick hair on the sides-we are prone to high foreheads in our family but the thin hair on top of his head is distressing him (which I’m sure doesn’t help). Is there someone he can see to access his problem-we live in New Jersey and are a train ride from Manhattan. Thanks so much for your help.
Is your son balding now? I would guess from what you are describing is most probably genetic hair loss. Avacor is overpriced and has minoxidil as its active component; I would have been surprised if it would have worked. The marketers of Avacor do a hell of a job promoting the ‘benefits’ of their product and as a result, they have one of the most popular sales efforts ever and it appears to be priced over 10 times that of minoxidil. Propecia, which is made by Merck (pharmaceutical company), is under FDA and FCC regulation so Merck can not promote claims that are ill defined or vague. In a 23 year old male, genetic hair loss comes from the ‘workings’ of DHT on the growth center of the hair follicle. Propecia is the only substance that has been clearly documented to block the effects of DHT on the hair follicle. It has documented benefits on retarding, stopping or reversing hair loss. A competent doctor would make the diagnosis and appropriately manage the problem for you. To answer your request for a doctor on the east coast, I would recommend Dr. Robert Bernstein at 201-585-1115, who has offices in Fort Lee NJ and Manhattan NY. He is as good as they come and I would not hesitate to have my son treated by him.
2005-06-06 19:34:222006-01-25 23:24:14Early 20s with High Hairline
Another Propecia question, this time from Thomas…
I have been on propecia now 9 months and have receded more and gotten thinner on top. Propecia either accelerated my mpb or did nothing for it. I am worse off now then when i started. I never used to have hair in the shower, on my hands, or in the sink..Ever since the 3rd month on propecia, it has not stopped. My head even itches now sometimes when it NEVER used to before. My question is can Dutasteride help me or because i had no response to Propecia, is it a waste of time?
I do not know your age or family history, when you started balding, or what pattern you are heading to. This information is critical. Already you know that Propecia has not helped you (slowed or stopped the hair loss) so this is already atypical. It is possible that you have other than a genetic cause for hair loss. Thyroid disease and some other medical conditions can produce hair loss that will not respond to Propecia.
With regard to Dutasteride, there is no doubt in my mind that it is a better DHT blocker than Propecia, but it has not been proven to be by appropriately controlled studies. A few doctors who I respect have used it for genetic hair loss and they tell me there is significant benefit in some patients that do not respond to Propecia.
First and foremost, you need to have a competent doctor make the assessment. If it proves to be genetic hair loss, then using a non-FDA approved medication (called off label use) has implications for both you and your doctor. If you are in the California area, I would be happy to see you personally and make that assessment.
Doc, can you write a post detailing the effectiveness of dutasteride vs finasteride for hairline and general thinning if you ever get the chance?
These two drugs work in a similar manner. These drugs are competitive inhibitors to the enzyme 5 alpha reductase, critical to the functioning of DHT. Dutasteride is reported to be 85% effective while Finasteride is reported to be 70% as effective. That does not mean that dutasteride is a better drug, with know side effects that may be worse than finasteride like sterility. Finasteride is approved by the FDA for hair loss while finasteride is not.
2019-05-13 04:16:482019-05-15 08:54:17Dutasteride vs Finasteride, What Is the Scoop?
I am a 20 year old Indian male with Norwood 2- Norwood 3 hair loss. As per blood tests, my DHT levels are 1410 which is twice of normal range (250-990). My dermatologist usually prescribes Finasteride 1-mg, but has recommended taking Dutasteride 0.5-mg instead due to unusually high DHT. She said this is for cases like mine. My question is this: what is the difference between Finasteride 1-mg and Dutasteride 0.5-mg in terms of efficacy and potential side effects? Have you ever recommended Dutasteride ? Trials indicate it is far more potent than finasteride.
Finasteride is probably safer than Dutasteride which is known to cause sterility in young men. I never pay attention to the DHT levels as I don’t believe it makes any difference in my initial recommendations.
2018-09-19 05:43:162018-09-19 07:19:42Dutasteride vs. Finasteride, Which Is Better?
It’s been getting worse and worse over the past few months. Under certain light i can already see my scalp there Did the hairs that were there fall or are they just extremely thinner? I want to get on Minoxidil asap but im really afraid that the initial brutal shed people talk so much about, destroys my frontal hair line even more… Now i get why they tell you to get on something asap…
The erosion of a thumb-print section of hair loss from the frontal hairline suggests early frontal balding may be starting. The best approach is to find a doctor who can do a HAIRCHECK ( https://baldingblog.com/haircheck-test-how-it-is-done-video/ ) test on you to see if there is balding anywhere on your head. You need a Master Plan for what may happen to you and a good doctor should work with you to form such a plan if your hair loss is worse at any time than you realize. Yo should recognize the importance of your problem, address it professionally so that you keep your hair on your head as you get older no matter what happens to your potential balding.
2021-05-11 01:20:382021-05-12 14:11:21Early sign of frontal balding (photo)
