Author: Dr. William Rassman

Hi Dr. Rassman,
I am 19 years old with no signs of hair loss but I have a family history of mild MPB (Dad has thinning in crown + vertex, no recession). I was just wondering if there was anyway starting Propecia now could worsen my hair. I understand that it doesn’t make sense to take a drug if there is no hair loss, but I’d rather not play catch up. Also, have you had patients where there is no recession but thinning on the top near the mid scalp + crown? Thanks!

Propecia (finasteride) is not something you take to prevent balding when you don’t have a diagnosis of androgenic alopecia. You don’t use an antibiotic when you are healthy to prevent getting an infection. You don’t take blood pressure lowering medication to prevent high blood pressure that you don’t have.

This is one of the many reasons that you need to see a doctor before starting medication. You should begin by finding a doctor who can examine your hair for possible miniaturization and/or bulk changes, and ONLY if you are diagnosed with androgenic alopecia can you consider taking Propecia.

This is not about catching up or waiting for hair loss to occur. It is about a medical process that is logical and safe for you.

Hi, am hoping you can provide a clinical opinion on my experience and usage with 5% minoxidil.

I am a 52 years old male. My main area of thinning/hair loss has always been my crown area (about a 2-3 inch diameter). My crown started thinning noticeably in my mid 40’s. I have been using 5% minoxidil for almost 4 years now. At first it seemed to definitely halt further hair loss in the crown, but it has never filled in that area. I only get peach fuzz type hairs that never fully develop into mature hairs. Am I wasting my time continuing to use minoxidil on my crown? I appreciate any response on this, thanking you in advance.

Even though some people get good hair growth from minoxidil (Rogaine), the majority of people are like you, getting peach fuzz rather than really good, strong hair. Whether the limited results you’re seeing is wasting your time is up to you to decide.

Hi Dr. Rassman,

Firstly, thank you for your awesome blog, it’s a brilliant resource for hair loss sufferers.

About 2 months ago I started using liquid rogaine in the evening instead of foam (I still use foam in the mornings). I did this because my hair is relatively long and I felt that the foam was just going on my hair rather than my scalp. My hair has been shedding like crazy recently and I’m wondering if this could be due to the switch to liquid in the evenings?

I’m hoping that now more minoxidil is reaching my scalp it’s causing miniaturized hairs to fall out rather than the balding process accelerating. What do you think, could my theory have any credibility?

PS. I have been on proscar split in 1/4s for over a year.

Many thanks in advance.

I suppose it’s possible that you could have an allergy to something in the liquid that isn’t in the foam, but the active ingredient in both versions of Rogaine is 5% minoxidil. Some people notice increased shedding in the first couple of months, so continue using it and see what happens over time.

You should be managed by a competent, experienced hair doctor who uses the HairCheck device to accurately measure your hair bulk to see if you are losing hair. Once baseline measurements are made with this instrument, you can repeat it in a year to see what, if anything, changed.

I am 17 years old almost 18 in 5 months. I am starting to thin in the back of my head but no signs of thinning in the front. So in order for this to stop, can I start on propecia or should I seek a doctor first? Also my dad is bald and my grandpa is somewhat bald. But my uncle (dad’s brother) is not bald. On my mothers side, my grandpa has a full head of hair.

So does propecia really help in this situation or what should I do? Because I am really considering taking this medicine. So please help me because I don’t want to be bald at all.

Many men don’t want to be balding, but genetic hair loss can happen as early as 16 years old. Propecia (finasteride) is a treatment for genetic hair loss in men, but it is by no means a cure (there is no cure). It is a prescription medication, so you must see a doctor to find out if you should be taking it. By seeing a doctor who can measure your hair bulk, you will know for sure if you are starting the balding process. If so, then Propecia would be the best approach to slowing it down or halting it.

Propecia isn’t a guarantee to stop all of your loss, but it should at the very least slow down the process. You could even see some regrowth, especially if the loss is early and limited to the crown (I assume that is what you mean by the back of your head). Each person responds differently, so without an examination I couldn’t give you any real indication of what benefits the drug will provide. That is why a good examination of your hair by an expert hair doctor will get to the bottom of what you are fearing.