Hair Loss And Propecia – Revisited And Updated

Hi doctor Rassman. you have an amazing blog and are so informative when it comes to hairloss.

I have been taking propecia (the brand version from merck frost) for 6 months and 3 days to be exact. (I started taking it on June 1 2011, and today is december 3 2011). I have seen no change in my hairloss at all. My hairloss has not gotten better, or it hasn’t gotten worse. It is at the same rate prior to taking propecia. So basically its like I have taken the propecia for nothing. They say you are suppose to see less hairloss by month 3. this is now month six and still nothing.

I went to see my dermatologist and he told me that since I haven’t seen any results within these 6 months that I should stop taking it if I want and further treatment with it will make no sense since it has done nothing in the first six months.. he basically left the decision up to me. These were his exact words, “If I were you, I would stop taking it because since it has done nothing, i don’t think it will be of any benefit, but its up to you. you can keep taking it for another 6 months and see where that goes”.

Now this is my question to you doctor rassman. I know you can’t give medical advice and such, and I completely understand. I just want your opinion on the matter. Since you are a hair restoration specialist, I feel that your opinion is far greater than any dermatologist.

do you think 6 months is to soon to give up? should I continue in your opinion? Have you had any patients who started seeing the benefits after 6 months and such. what do you think? I just want your opinion. I really appreciate it. thank you

Without an examination or documentation of how your hair loss has progressed in the last 6 months, I really would not know what to advise. I can’t tell you whether you should or shouldn’t take a medication I didn’t prescribe to you, but it could be worth sticking with it for a little while longer before making a decision either way. Your doctor gave you the same advice.

We advocate miniaturization studies, bulk measurement studies, and even take photographs under consistent lighting. These tests, while not perfect, are an attempt to quantify and scientifically track hair loss. Hopefully one day we can accurately measure and document hair loss more accurately. As a matter of fact, we have just been granted a U.S. Patent on such method a method (see here).

If you want an evaluation of hair loss and options, I would seek a hair transplant surgeon in your area. Your situation may not be hopeless as finasteride almost always works to some degree, even if it is just slowing the process down. I generally tell my patients that they need to take Propecia for 6 to 12 months before the effectiveness can be assessed but that same advice should extend to a few years with Bulk measurements taken yearly. I also make it a point to tell those patients that while they may not notice any difference (or even notice more hair loss), that could mean the genetic predisposition to hair loss is winning out over what the drug can offer. It’s possible that the medication has slowed the rate of your loss, and had you not taken it for these past 6 months you’d have even more hair loss than you have now. Really though, I don’t have any way to know unless you get two measurements for hair bulk over a 12 month period.