Any Harm In Starting Propecia Early?

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I’m 26 years old and have noticed, whether it’s due to high stress from school and my job, or from genetics, that my hairline has raised by a half-inch or one inch and that my temples have started thinning out in the past 9 months. I’m not sure if this is hair-loss or the development of a “mature hairline”. I’ve considered propecia and will get the miniaturization test done, but: assuming that one doesn’t suffer ill effects from propecia, in terms of my hair, are there any repercussions or detrimental effects to starting the medication early?

a lot of your messages suggest that it’s better to be safe than sorry; so if i am indeed losing hair slowly (albeit currently at a snail’s pace), other than loss of a few extra dollars, is there any harm in starting treatment on propecia ASAP to minimize the potential for long-term hair loss?

thank you for taking my question.

Stress can be a cause of hair loss, but the hair loss would likely occur diffusely (all over front, top, side, and back). Genetic hair loss for men (male pattern hair loss) will occur mostly on the front and top areas of the scalp – sparing the sides and back.

While Propecia is a safe medication to take, you need to have a good diagnosis to see if it will help your hair loss situation. In other words, Propecia would not help you if your hair loss is due to stress, unless you have a genetic predisposition to balding. I personally don’t like the use of Propecia without a diagnosis. Why commit a lifetime on medication if there is no balding present? Think about that!