Propecia for Middle Aged Men

Hi Dr Rassman,
I am 43 years old and am suffering from moderate hair loss since more than one year.
My dermatologist said that I am too old to take Propecia because the clinical studies were conducted in men between 18 to 41 years. But Minoxidil (5%) caused me skin irritations. Is that right or is Propecia also effective for men older than 41? And what about the long term side effects of Propecia? Many thanks in advance for your help. Kindly regards.

I believe that you will still benefit from using Propecia, which works well in early hair loss, somewhat independent of age. You should take a photo of your head and start Propecia, but first you should get a hair expert to measure miniaturization status throughout the scalp so that a good baseline is established and progress can be measured over time. Then 8 months later, you can evaluate if the medication works or not. Of note, no further hair loss or some growth are good signs that Propecia is working in addition to the scientific evidence you will get from the measurements.