Propecia bring back hair from X years or just maintain
- Thread starter Esprit
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If you respond really well to Propecia, yes, it could bring back hair that's been missing for two years versus ten years since hair that's been missing for that long may not come back. The purpose of Propecia is to maintain hair that you have left, and as I previously stated, hair will come back if you respond really well to it.
Propecia (Finasteride) was only tested on the crown and mid scalp, but not at the front. However, it's been scientifically proven that it works all over areas of scalp hair loss, including at the front of the head.
Propecia (Finasteride) was only tested on the crown and mid scalp, but not at the front. However, it's been scientifically proven that it works all over areas of scalp hair loss, including at the front of the head.
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Hair loss relatively recently is far more likely to return than hair lost a long time ago. I'd guess most people turn the clock back a year or two maybe? I'd say fro me a combination of finasteride and minoxidil turned the clock back about 2 years... Some people respond amazingly well and regrow a tonne of hair. Others keep losing hair. It's a crapshoot.
Notcoolanymore
Senior Member
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This in a nutshell. Worth a shot in my opinion. You could be one of those great responders.
themainman
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In my case as I caught my hair loss very early I got back hair on my crown from finasteride alone. I guess finasteride must have shed any recently miniaturized hairs and they grew back and maintained. If I had waited any longer I would probably have lost them for good (unless I maybe added a stimulant like minoxidil?).
Thank you people for your answers, I've had loss for a while and two bereavements have speeded up my loss like there's no tomorrow and for what I've been putting off for so many years, may now just have to bite the bullet. You know how it is, Regaine gives you puffy eyes, raised heartbeat, shedding hair, Propecia kills your sex life, turns you into a manic depressive... It's just stuff that I could do without right now in my life, but there's no other options. Surgeons don't want to go near diffuse because they say shock loss is a given.. etc. etc. But if it's at least giving me back 2 years, then I'd take that at the moment. Thanks guys
i think you should use recommended amount just to be sure, but if u have any sides then yes mon-wed-fri will suffice depending on the agressiveness of your hairloss, but if you're older than 25 with minimal loss of hair i think you should be good with mon-wed-fri
Thanks Joey... sadly, a fair bit older than 25, but it's not minimal loss.. it's aggressive enough, but it's over the last 10 years or so it's been losing
well then id say you're in a great position to try the m-w-f regimen. im 22 and my hairloss started about 4 years ago and im already nw2.5. i take .5mg/d and it seems to be at the least halting my hairloss. i have what is considered aggressive hairloss, if you're saying its over the span of ten years id say you have a better shot at a lightweight regimen, but you'll probably have a bit of a harder time with the regrowth aspect.
I made a big mistake in putting it off and putting it off, and believe me if anyone is reading this and you think it can slow up or stop, without any meds... take it from one who knows. It won't. It's horrible, and the loss is so great I won't even look in mirrors until I've concealed up. I'm quite diffuse now, wasn't initially, but am now, Started at crown, and now worked it's way forward. Most surgeons won't touch me because they've said it's inevitable I will get shock loss that may not grow back, so I'm only open to meds really. And the bother of minoxidil, so am still pondering, but have to do something real quick now. Life can be a real bum deal
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Esprit, get on Propecia (Finasteride) if you really need/want to save whatever amount of hair you have left.
DiffuseThinner1
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Can any generalizations be made about this smaller group that does regrow/thicken? For example I'd guess a 40 year old guy with slow diffuse thinning over 10-15 years would respond better to finasteride than a 22 at a similar stage of diffuse thinning. Is this logic sound?
I'm 36 in this situation. Started 1.25mg finasteride daily a week ago. From what I've been reading here this past few weeks I'm getting the vibe I have good chance of being in the regrow/thicken up minority.
Thanks guys, all good advice. How much in the truth of if you take it don't get on with it, then you stop, you lose a lot quicker because your bod has got used to it being there to stop the DHT, and when you get off it after a few months of sides, you speed up and shed and lose a whole lot quicker than if you've never taken it?
Plus...
Not sure why an older guy who's been losing for 10/15 years would respond better. Don't understand that one. Please explain.. I thought if you catch early and you are a youngun you're in a better place? I've left it way too long... I'm in late 40s now.
Plus...
Not sure why an older guy who's been losing for 10/15 years would respond better. Don't understand that one. Please explain.. I thought if you catch early and you are a youngun you're in a better place? I've left it way too long... I'm in late 40s now.
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Actually, the young guy who has recently lost hair will have a better chance of regrowth.
I couldn't answer your first question. Many people report a shed when coming off Finasteride, others see no change. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Its all speculation anyway because I don't think there's any data/studies on the hair of people coming off Finasteride.
And you're right, generally catching it early, when you have recent hairloss, will mean a better chance of regrowth.
That's why I'd like DiffuseThinner1 to elaborate on his theory, I'm not sure why he thinks that. Be great if true, but....love to know more
They lose hair.
rocklegends
Member
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This is fairly late in the process, but if I may, perhaps I can answer this to the extent of what I know. Anecdotally, i took finasteride particularly because i was going through diffuse thinning systematically across the top of the scalp. I am pretty glad with the decision I made, and overall I have noticed over the near two year period of time a progressive thickening and improvement in overall hair caliber (caliber being that the hair "sits" better on the scalp and feels heavier than the straw like texture that it was accustomed to being)
when it comes to diffuse thinning, it is really a double edged sword in a multitude of ways. First, you are in a relatively better aesthetic position vis a vis a traditional individual moving through male pattern baldness, as the hairline remains in tact (I still have the same hairline I've had since I was a teen). The issue here is that it also is a silent progression because you can't really know the extent until it actually hits you. When you actually can tell that you lost hair, you likely lost ~30-40% overall density within the affected area. This makes it difficult to really catch it early unless you know for certain that there is strong likelihood that hairloss runs in your family and you make the necessary due diligence with your doctor to track your scalp for miniaturization. On the plus side, the good news at least in your unique scenario is that diffused hairs are usually many many vellus and thin hairs that are virtually transparent when taking photos unless you take very hard looks at your scalp. because of this, you may have above average opportunities to recapture some of your previous density and reverse the process to some degree.
To the degree of realistic expectations (in the case that you aren't already on finasteride anyway), I would say that if you were an average responder you would maintain your current hair with better hair caliber across (hair counts aren't necessarily as important as hair weight, as thicker hair tends to mask hair loss so long as there is not substantially material loss systematically across the scalp). If you are below average, expect maintenance to below baseline for a few years, but ultimately trending to baseline in years 5+. If you are an above average responder, expect arresting of hairloss midway through the first year, regrowth through the second half, and continuing growth over the duration of the antiandrogen therapy (the rossi et al study in 2011 suggested that the effects of finasteride do not subside over time, so if you are a good responder in the first year, you are almost assured to have persisting positive effects with the drug over time. This is namely an increase in hair caliber coupled with an moderate increase in density and hair counts (an average of about 15-20 FU/Cm^2).
You really won't know until you try, but speaking purely from my anectdotal analysis, it stands reasonable that your case of diffuse thinning has the best opportunity to recapture lost density and regrow "lost" (severely miniaturized) hairs from the past 3-4 years. Remember that hair on a bare scalp that doesn't grow cannot be regrown. Hair cannot be created from thin air, but drastically affected hairs can recover over the long run and capture potential terminal level thickness. Overall, I would advise you that its definitely a prudent decision, but a big one nonetheless. As always, consult with your doctor and a reputable hair loss surgeon or doctor before you jump on the drug. I wish you all the best
