Is My Hair Loss Normal?

Hello there Dr. Rassman,thanks so much for your helpful blog. Here are 2 questions for you that I’m hoping you can help me with. I lost my full hairline (receding in temple area) when I was about 24. It receded for a couple of years and then stopped. I am now 33 and over the last 2 months has started again-very quickly!! It seems I can tell the difference weekly. I am now almost at just a strip in the center and this is quickly disappearing!! Is this normal or may other factors be at play. Also, does a 5mg Proscar pill cut in 4 have the same effect as Propecia?? Thanks for your help again, hope to hear from you soon.

Male pattern baldness is never normal for the young man who wants to be hairy, but it is normal for your genetics. You are probably experiencing further hair loss and it could go through bouts of rapid loss. It is best to visit a doctor for thorough evaulation of your hair loss pattern by using a densitometer or a magnifying video camera to determine the amount of miniaturization that is present. Proscar and Propecia are the same drug, called Finasteride. Propecia is dosed at 1 mg of Finasteride. Many people cut Proscar (5 mg) into 4 pieces equal to 1.25 mg of Finasteride and the only difference is that the dose may vary based upon the size of the cut pieces.