https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8287580/
Some doctors don’t agree with the conclusion in this article as finasteride only blocks 70% of DHT leaving 30% to produce beard growth. In other words, this is a controversial conclusion.
I’ve been on Fin for three months and I am shedding about 200 hairs daily…… I don’t know what to do and not sure if wasting more money in useless dermatologists who don’t care at all is a good idea, so before booking an appointment I would like to know what hair cycle I am in?
Each follicular unit (there are 50,000 on a human head) have their own hair cycle. That is why we lose hair each and every day and regrow hair each and every day as the hair are cycles from anagen to telogen
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9326711
The authors have proposed minoxidil as a topical inhibitor of wound contraction and proliferative scarring. This was never performed in people or animal studies, just invitro studies
Effectiveness and safety of low-dose oral minoxidil in male androgenetic alopecia (jaad.org)
This article shows the value of oral minoxidil in treating balding and thinning in the top and crown of the head with an effectiveness of 92%.
Just curious. You have had zero people with PFS, how many prescriptions have you given out over the years? I’m guessing in the thousands?
I have written thousands of Rx for finasteride since it first came out. Also many other doctors who are full time in this business compared notes and not one of them have seen PFS in their patients either. This is just sampling other comparable quality doctors. It’s not that I don’t believe that PFS happens, it is just as common as portrayed. The following are two baldingblog posts reflecting Dr. Haber’s experience with sexual dysfunction in his patient population compared to men not taking it: https://baldingblog.com/new-report-that-finasteride-does-not-cause-sexual-side-effects/ and https://baldingblog.com/finasteride-what-are-the-real-sexual-side-effects/
A simple question that I don’t I find very often an answer to it.
I have minor Fin side effects for some time now and I’m sure they won’t go away. My erection works and it gets fully hard, but it takes a bit longer than before. I do get morning wood, but I do not get random boners when I think about a girl or sex. I do need stimulation to get it fully hard tho. So my penis still works, but it feels less alive. Would this be considered libido issues or ED issues?
Is it okay to tolerate these side effects and just continue using Fin? Will there be any consequences?
The doctor in this thread once commented that if you continue using Fin while having side effects, you run the risk of having PFS. I know he’s a doctor, but I’m not 100% on the boat that sides are permanent. I actually took a break once from Finasteride after 6 months, and my sides dissapeared in like 3 days.
Already tried different doses and dropping Fin isn’t an option (at least I hope).
If there is something called Post Finasteride Syndrome (PFS), then the longer you hold onto significant sexual side effects, the more likely you could get this syndrome. Many doctors like myself, believe that prolonged severe sexual side effects on finasteride put you at risk for PFS (but many question the legitimacy of this syndrome)
On one hand, I really want to hop on fin. Because I’m not ready to lose my hair. Sure, taking a medication for 10+ years is not exactly jolly, but it’s better than losing my hair. I’ve seen much evidence pointing to the fact that finasteride is safe and effective. It’s a well tolerated medication and if you do experience side effects, it can be mitigated with titration adjustments. And discontinuation will most definitely end any side effects.
Here comes the issue:
On the OTHER hand, I do see a lot of compelling evidence against it. I’ve read about the effects on allopregnanolone, an important neurosteroid. Finasteride DOES kill this hormone off, since it relies on 5AR. However, we don’t see many side effects in most people anyway, so what the hell?
And to muddy the water even further, there are things such as Merck lying about other medications and the scandal with the FDA and finasteride. Can you chime in on this? Thank you
I tell my patients that it is worth trying if you really have genetic balding and it is active. The odds are 96% that you will not get sexual side effects. It has to do a lot with your state of mind. If you try it and you get any significant side effects (sexual of otherwise) then you can always stop it.
Dihydrotestosterone: Biochemistry, Physiology, and Clinical Implications of Elevated Blood Levels
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6459338/
This is a very good review of the relationships between DHT in the blood and in the hair follicle, Testosterone and the use of DHT blockers.
My natural hair is fine and wavy. After the hair transplant, the frontal area is now thicker but it is clear there are two types of hair there. One is super curly. Will this go away with time? Did my surgeon screw up? Will it happen for all subsequent transplants if I go that route?
The hair should mimic the hair from the back of the head in terms of thickness (not the frontal miniaturized hairs). The increased waviness is not an uncommon finding after a hair transplant. For those men who develop more wavy hair after the first hair transplant, the same is likely after a second hair transplant in my experience. I don’t know why it happens.
Return surgeries in good surgeon’s hands, are more a reflection of the thickness of the donor hair shafts. Those with medium or coarse hair are less likely to return for a second procedure while those with fine hair, are more likely because the hair bulk is just not there. This post explains it nicely: https://baldingblog.com/hair-thickness-vs-density/
For those of you who perform microneedling, you want to reach the area between the gland and the skin which is between 1 – 1.5 mm from the skin edge
Spectacular result from one year on finasteride. Stick to the medication as it may hold on to your hair for years to come
A very nice restoration of the full hairline. It is still thin but I would hope that after one year of finasteride, it will be better
Asking on behalf of my dad. He’s 61, and I just started microneedling and telling him about it. All he has is his sides and I’ve remembered him like that for as long as I can remember (I’m 24) He seems interested in trying it and I’m letting him borrow my pen. Is there any chance of anything happening. He seems quietly interested in it, so much so that he’s wanting to try it tomorrow. But I don’t want him getting hopes up if that’s something that’s too far gone. Can follicles be dormant for so long that they just can’t be revitalized?
I would imagine that microneedling in a person who has been bald for 20 years would not produce growth because these hairs went through apoptosis (cell death) years ago and probably the hair can’t be brought back.
I want to help her and buy her a derma roller at the least but how do I have that conversation with her without destroying her self esteem
She should see a doctor. Female hair loss is very different than male hair loss as there are many common conditions and this could be a sign of some important change in her overall health or some disease of the hair and scalp more common in women then men. Dermarolling is not the answer for most women unless they have genetic balding and female patterned hair loss.