Any Guess As to Why DHT Blocking Drugs Don’t Help as Much in the Hairline?

Hi Doctors,

Thanks for all the great insight and help. Recently, you’ve had a few posts about frontal hair loss. My question relates to medical (non-surgical) options for treatment and why drugs only seem to be effective for the back/crown of the head. I realize that today’s most effective medicines, Rogaine and Propecia, only are scientifically proven to work in the back/crown of the head. However here is where I get caught up:

If DHT is one of the primary causes of MBP and these drugs, specifically Propecia, block DHT, why then are benefits not typically seen in the front? Likewise, why is Rogaine only medically proven to be effective in the back?

I realize that science doesn’t yet have the exact answer, but given your vast experience and exposure, could you venture a guess as to why these drugs do not affect frontal hair loss the way they affect back/crown loss? In your experience, do users of these drugs see a benefit in frontal loss as well?

Many thanks!

The impact of Propecia on the frontal hairline has not been impressive, but it clearly slows down loss in the frontal area. This is the results of observation on thousands of people. The same applies to the crown where both Propecia and Rogaine seem to have value. But everyone is different and responds differently to medication.

I do not know why there is less hair regrowth on the front than the crown with Propecia and I do not want to make a fool of myself for guessing.