I am a 26 year old male who is experiencing early signs of balding on the crown and around the vertex. I have been to a trichologist who suggests that I use a combination of propecia and minoxidil to try to stabilse and hopefully regrow some hair. My question is; if I stop using one of these hair loss treatments would my hair loss accelerate quicker than if I never took them? Would you recommend a combination of the two drugs? Does stopping one have more of an effect that the other? And finally, what can I expect from this sort of treatment and if it is successful how long can I maintain my hair at its current stage? Many thanks

For a 26 year old, I do not recommend the use of both Propecia (finasteride) and minoxidil for the following reasons:

1. Propecia goes to the root of the problem (assuming genetic hair loss is present).
2. Minoxidil confuses the situation and does build dependence if there are benefits from it.
3. If you stop taking minoxidil and there is dependence, you only know by stopping it (bad way to find out).
4. In most young men, minoxidil is of little help.
5. I recommend minoxidil only after Propecia fails to work to meet the expectations of the patient. The incremental value of minoxidil will be seen 8 months after starting it, so at the least you will know if it is working.

If you stop minoxidil or Propecia, you will not lose more hair that you would have normally lost without having taken it in the first place. Lastly, I can not tell you what will happen to you from an email inquiry like this.

I’ve just recently discovered your website but have found it very informative. I am 23 and have a family history, on both my mother and father’s side, of male pattern hairloss. I too have been suffering, and in the last three months my hair loss has accelerated to such a degree that the hair on the front and top of my head is becoming increasingly thin, and my hair line is dramatically rising. I have recently started using Kirkland minoxidil (having used Rogaine whilst at university but then stopping as I couldn’t afford it) but not only is my scalp flaking a lot, but I am also losing a lot of hair on a daily basis. As I’ve only used it for under a month, do you think I should persist with the treatment as I have a years supply?

I have also recently bought dutasteride on the internet, having used propecia for 3 months but with no affect, only spots on my forehead. I realise that it takes longer than three months for the tablets to work but do you think I should see if the Dutasteride works as I am awaiting a two month supply in the post, or go back to propecia? Ultimately my hair loss is getting me down a great deal and being that I am so young and as this treatment is quite expensive, would it be better to save up for a hair transplant, and if so do you have any contacts in the UK that are not only reliable but might also be able to give me some impartial and helpful advise. Thank you so much in advance for your response as you can see my hairloss has left me really sad and I would really appreciate any advise you can give me. Many thanks again

There are many, many young men in a situation similar to yours. I can’t say for sure what you should or should not do, as you are not my patient — but my general advice would be to give the Propecia more than 3 months (8 months is my minimum trial period) to see any benefits. Especially at your age with early hair loss, Propecia tends to work better than minoxidil. I do not recommend dutasteride, not only because it stays in your system far longer than Propecia, but also because there have not been enough studies (to my satisfaction) that show any long-term effects the drug may have in a younger person, such as yourself. To find a doctor in the UK, I’d suggest looking at the ISHRS site’s physician search. Good luck.