Propecia for 40 Year Olds

Sir,
I am about to turn 40 and just started last month on Propecia. My balding pattern is 3A I believe; very recessed temples since I was 23 or 24 yrs old but very slow thinning of the front 1/3 since then. I have a very low widows peak and the real thinning of this center peak area just became noticeable in the last year or so. I’m assuming I would eventually go to a 4A pattern? I have read that Propecia does not help in the front 1/3 and expecially in older men. However, since the actually thinning out of this area on me has been so gradual and recent, I was wondering if you were aware of any exceptions to this. I’m ok with the recessed temples; I’m just hoping to maybe thicken back up the center area. Any experience where the little thin hairs underneath the more normal looking hairs in the front might respond? Also, I have practically no body hair except on my legs and even that has always been very light/thin. My brother is VERY hairy, 7 yrs younger, and is almost completely bald; think there’s a DHT correlation here? Thanks so much for your time and effort.

You are correct in terms of Propecia not being as effective in the frontal hair line as opposed to the crown area, but it just might halt the progression in the frontal hair loss. The older you are and the longer and more extensive the hair loss has been, the less likely it will be that the hair loss will reverse. Now with that said, on occasion I have seen hair growth in the frontal area if the hair loss has not be extensive. It may be worth a try and it may also slow the progression of thinning you are experiencing. Before starting any medication for hair loss, you should be evaluated by a hair transplant doctor to map your scalp for miniaturization and the pattern of hair loss at the microscopic level. Good measurements are the key to knowing where you have been and where you are going. Decisions in the future are easier to make if you know where you have been when you started the medication.