My Father Has a Class 6 Pattern — Does Propecia Have a Chance to Work for Me?

Hi, you’ve stated that everyone responds differently to Propecia, but that it often works better in younger men (I assume in their very early 20’s) as a general rule since they’re mostly likely in the early stages of MPB. However, I believe you’ve also suggested that Propecia can only slow down the process for a younger man who may be headed towards a class 6 or even 7. Does this mean that only young men with a history of lower class balding on the Norwood scale in their family can have their hair loss stopped or even reversed with Propecia? Is it unrealistic to think that Propecia even has a remote chance of stopping hair loss in a 21 year old that has noticed some general thinning but has a father with a class 6 hair loss stage on the Norwood scale?

Thanks for your response in advance. Also, I wanted to compliment you on the website, it’s a great resource and I’ve enjoyed reading it.

Just because your father is a Norwood Class 6 patterned balder, does not mean that you will be that. You may have different expression of the gene or inherited it from another line on your father’s or mother’s side. Since we can not predict your pattern with certainty, slowing down the loss with Propecia (finasteride 1mg) makes common sense no matter what your final pattern will be. So instead of significant hair loss in your 20s, maybe you can push it back to your 40s. If you get your hair mapped out for miniaturization, then at some point your final hair loss pattern can be predicted and from such an examination you can establish a good Master Plan for your future with a competent, caring doctor.