Propecia and DUPA

Dear Dr. Rassman:

Thanks for the informative website.

I am a 28 year old male who has been diagnosed with diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA), and I have some questions about available treatments.

My doctor prescribed Propecia, which I have just started taking. I was wondering about its effectiveness with my condition. Your blog says in various places that finasteride works for about 50% of people with DUPA. Does that mean that 50% experience regrowth, or just a halting of the DUPA process? I feel that my DUPA hasn’t progressed particularly rapidly, and while I would love to have regrowth, I certainly would also be happy to have the process halted.

Also, I have been using Rogaine foam for about 10 weeks with no noticeable results thus far. I end up using a lot of it, as I use it on almost my entire head, and as you can imagine it’s an expensive pain. Is there any reason that minoxidil does/should work better or worse with DUPA, such that I might stop using it and use only finasteride?

Thanks

Benefits for diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) with Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is a subjective call on my part. You may see cessation of the process or reversal. Half of patients who I follow, have no impact from the medications.

The effects of minoxidil (foam or otherwise) will not be seen for 8-12 months. Wait it out.