Category: Drugs

Hello Dr. Rassman
Please tell me what is the effect of Finasteride on type I collagen (I think its the same which is found in skin) as stated in this study in simplified manner

Perifollicular Fibrosis: Pathogenetic Role in Androgenetic Alopecia (PDF file)

thanks!

That is quite an article. I am not sure that I can extract the answer to your question from reading the article quickly. Those individuals with miniaturization seem to develop a thicker capsule to the follicular unit, but the effects of finasteride on this finding are not clearly stated in the article. The impact of DHT appears to be about 5 times more sensitive on the androgen receptor than with testosterone alone.

The study requires an astute understanding of the biochemistry of androgen receptor activity on the collagen in the dermis. I recommend the reading of this article for those scientists in the audience. I’m the wrong person to simplify this study, but if anyone else wants to contribute, please feel free to post a comment.

Hello Doc. My question is this. I’m currently taking propecia 1mg tablet daily. Since propecia has a half life of 8 hours, will taking it in the morning and then 12 hours later at night increase it’s effectiveness? My concern is that I take propecia in the morning and take it every 24 hours like is intended. But doesn’t the drug work only 8 hours out of 24? So the other 16 hours dht is attacking the hair follicle? Please clarify. Thank you for your time doc.

The drug fixes to the tissues and the hair follicles, which lasts longer than 24 hour. The half life is the time in the blood stream, not fixed to your tissues. Just stick to one Propecia pill a day.

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If Propecia reduces DHT by blocking the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, does stopping Propecia mean that the normal production of 5AR will take place once again or are the blocked 5AR enzymes gone forever (I’ve heard the latter on message boards like propeciahelp.com).

The block from the enzyme 5-alpha reductase is not a complete one (I believe I read it was about 80% with Propecia) — and it is always there. When you stop Propecia, the enzyme continues to do what it always does and is not “gone forever”, as you read on those message boards.

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I have used minoxidil for my hair thinning on the vertex and hairline and it is working great! Except I’m noticing a disturbing, growing sensation on my forehead since I have been using it.

Whenever I would apply the minoxidil, my forehead would have a cool, wet sensation for about 20 minutes as if cooled water was running over it but it wasn’t the minoxidil or water. Nevertheless, I have been using it for 2 months and my forehead feels STIFF and I’m noticing wrinkles! I’ve read the 2 archived topics about wrinkles & minoxidil (i.e.”Using Propecia at Temples, Wrinkles From Minoxidil…” ) but I found documented studies about how it effects collagen synthesis (see: Medscape & Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science)

I’m assuming that minoxidil would be the cause of my facial stiffness (so bad, it feels like my forehead is duct taped) and gradual appearance of wrinkles. I’m a 25 year old male. I would greatly appreciate it if you could reply. Thank you so much!

Aside from that previous post from a reader, I’ve never heard complaints about wrinkles being caused by minoxidil. None of my patients have reported that to me. The studies you sent are interesting, but I’m not convinced that minoxidil will cause wrinkles. You might have some kind of allergic skin reaction to an ingredient in your formulation of minoxidil. I’m just speculating, of course.

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I’m 22 and have early frontal hair loss which I noticed 6 months ago and been on Propecia for 2 months now. I got a miniturization study done and the doc said I have it in the frontal area and a little on my mid anterior and he said it’s significant for my age (well in my opinion any thinning my age shouldn’t happen!). You always say Propecia works best for young men my age and we have a good chance of reversal and halt the hair loss but since men who start thinning my age are usually the baldest and have faster hair loss the others, how good in the long can Propecia work then? I know I’ll be fine for about 2-3 years but what then?

And it’s funny how weak MPB is in my family. Nobody except my father and mom’s brother had MPB but not until theirs 30s. My father is a NW5 at age 64 and my uncle is a NW3 with mid anterior thinning as well at age 40.

I have many male patients that first got great benefits from Propecia at your age, and now 10 years later they still have those benefits. I’m not sure how to answer your question — as I’ve said before, I can’t tell the future. Maybe there will be another drug available? Maybe your hair loss stops completely? Maybe you decide in 10 years that you hate hair and would rather shave your head? For now, stick with what is proven to work (Propecia).

There are patient results statistics for after 2 years and after 5 years on Propecia available here, and hopefully that will give you a little more peace of mind.

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I’ve been taking propecia for nearly four years, and my endocrinologist would like me to take 3 months off of it to evaluate some hormone levels that were questionable at best, particularly low FSH.

My question is, can you take 3 months off propecia without any harm being done? How long can I realistically go off it and be able to take blood tests without the finasteride having any impact on the tests – is it 3 months or less? I have read that the half-life of propecia is less than a day so, ideally, couldn’t I take blood tests after, let’s say to be safe, a month and it’ll be okay?

Thanks in advance!

If you were actively balding and taking Propecia for a long time, then stopping it for 3 months can produce “catch up” hair loss in that time frame. I am not an endocrinologist nor your doctor. You should be address these concerns with your doctor. Maybe your doctor has his/her own reasoning.

I really don’t know your situation of low follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) or why you are taking Propecia to evaluate hormone levels. Some of what you say makes me wonder if you are even balding or have androgenic alopecia. One thing that I do know is that the serum half life of Propecia is several hours (4 to 6 hours). I do not know what impact it has on FSH. Ask your doctor.

Hello Doc,

I have a thinning hairline not caused by MPB, it happend because over the years i used to tie my hair tightly in a ponytail. I am thinking of using rogaine foam? can you use this for the hairline? and what are the effects?

Thanks

I can’t say for sure whether it’ll work, however, I suppose Rogaine is worth a try (either in the foam form or the oily form). Read the directions on the bottle for application instructions.

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