How Long Does Finasteride Work?

How long will Finasteride maintain my hairline if taken consistently? I was a Norwood 1.5 – 2 at 20 years old, and I have been using Finasteride consistently for 13 months now. My hairline definitely maintained, and I see a little bit of regrowth in my temples. My question is: can Finasteride maintain my hair for another 5 or maybe even 10 years? My dermatologist said yesterday that Finasteride should maintain my hair for life if I use it consistently after seeing my one year of progress. But what do you think?

In many men who take Finasteride for life, they might maintain their hair if the drug continues to be effective as they get older; however, as man’s testosterone often drops with age, the effectiveness of the DHT blocker on the hair follicles may become less effective. One never knows what would happen if they did not take the drug when they are over 60. I had one patient who was 58, and he decided to stop the Finasteride after being on the drug for almost 2 decades. Within one month, he started to lose a great deal of hair, suggesting that the drug was holding on to his hair.  At least their risk of prostate cancer is probably less.