November 9 2006, 12:34 pm PT | Posted in: Drugs + Hairlines
Is there a reason why rogaine and finasteride only work on the vertex but not the receding hairline/frontal area?
Many aspects of the mechanism of action of Rogaine and finasteride (Propecia) are still unknown, and for that same reason we do not know why they work on the vertex better than the temple and frontal area. I can guess that reversal of frontal hair loss is very rare, because by the time the treatments are started, the balding has gone too far as it starts earlier. Crown balding is slower and from the time it is first recognized, it often early in the thinning process. As such, reversal of crown loss is much more common with these medications, particularly in the young man under 35 years old. However, finasteride does work to slow down or stop hair loss in the frontal area, particularly if caught early enough.
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If caught early enough, would it be beneficial to try Rogaine on the temples and frontal area? My concern is that I have good coverage there and would worry about losing that during the first 2 weeks of Rogaine and not being able to grow it back. I have been taking finasteride but not long enough to notice a difference, but got started early, as soon as I noticed any thinning.
the problem with frontal hair loss is that -as it has been suggested by some doctors- it is caused by testosterone itself and not by DHT!!!therefore propecia does not seem to help at all ‘cos it is a DHT blocker!!!hair in the front is testosterone sensitive : a good therapy is to use an androgen-receptor blocker (different way of action than regular 5alpha reductase inhibitors) such as topical spiro, RU 58841,flutamide