Can someone clear this up for me? I’m 32. If I take fin for let’s say. 5 years, and it saves my hair til I am 37, but I quit then for sides or health reasons, I know I will shed what I gained from fin. But would I also shed all the other hairs I was supposed to shed up to that point without fin?? Would I go back to my 32 yr old pre-fin hair and start balding anew from there at 37, or would it be as if I never took fin at all?

I guess the point is – if I start, can I never stop? Can I postpone loss at all instead of making it a lifelong thing and praying it isn’t killing me somehow slowly?

Generally you should be taking Propecia indefinitely for the treatment of hair loss. Once you stop the medication, you will likely return to your original state as if you have never taken the medication.

In your example, let us assume you were meant to be bald by the time you are 37 years old and you take Propecia starting at the age of 32. You have a good chance of not being bald when you turn 37 years old (by taking Propecia). However if you stop taking Propecia at your 37th birthday, you will likely lose most or all of the hair within a few months as if you never took Propecia in the first place. If you had postponed taking Propecia until your 37th birthday (when you turned bald), Propecia would not likely help. It would be too late.

Dear Dr. Rassman,

First of all, your website is very helpful and I commend you for offering your expertise.

My question is about a return to natural hair color while on Propecia. I am 28 years old with thinning hair, which has always been naturally thin but I am definitely balding recently. My hair is blonde but has darkened a bit over the years (a dirty blonde now). I have been on .5 mg propecia every day/every other day for 2 months now.

I noticed that much of the hair I lose is shorter, thinner, and a black color compared to the rest of my healthier hair strands. But recently since I started on propecia, the base of the hair falling out is a very light color, while dark towards the end. The lighter part at the root is about 2 cm or so and matches my more ‘natural’ hair color.

Is this an effect of Propecia? Does it mean that Propecia is having a positive effect returning my hair color/strength/thickness to it’s natural state? Why would thinner hairs be so dark in the first place?

Thanks for any answer you can give!

Miniaturized hair is lighter in color due to less melanin pigments present in each hair. Propecia can help thicken the miniaturized hair and by doing that make new hairs look darker. The light hair that you are losing may be the cycling miniaturized hair. Since you recently started taking Propecia, you may gain some of the original color back in the growing hair. Your miniaturized hair may continue to grow for a year or more and may eventually stop growing if Propecia can not keep it at bay. That is the reason most patients will see some return in color during the first year of taking the medication.

i’ve heard people complain about “shedding” with Rogaine, Propecia, and Avodart (more with Avodart and Rogaine). I can see from what you have posted before how Rogaine may cause “shedding” (or loss of hair) as it speeds up the hair cycle, and may cause hairs to fall out to be replaced by new, by stimulating the hair cylce process. But how would Propecia or Avodart cause shedding? It seems like it would cause to stop, since only a hormonal inhibitor, not some hair regrowth stimulant. Are these people complaining of “shedding” really just experiencing hair loss from genetic hormonal factor (androgenic alopecia), and it just has not been long enough for their Propecia (6 months to 1 1/2 years) to really kick-in and cause regrowth?

Propecia (finasteride) and Avodart (dutasteride) may cause hair shedding in some, probably through the same mechanism. The exact mechanism for this hair shedding is not known, but the shedding induced by all different medications generally fall into the same pattern. As we’ve said before, this hair shedding is usually temporary and reversible within a few months and not as common as the readers of websites may think. In my practice, I rarely hear this complaint.