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My hair has been thin since I was 16 (now 26). But it was very gradual and with almost no progression. Recently I went through a period of extreme stress/depression due to relationship problems. This lasted for approximately 4-5 months. A few months back I noticed that my hair seemed to be thinning so I have started propecia. I was told I was not yet thin enough to have any cosmetic surgery. While I still have some stress (not nearly as much) I am noticing that the hair is seemingly shedding at an even more accelerated rate. I have been on the drug for about 3 weeks. When could I see some type of improvement? What should I expect as far as improvement? Also could supplements like creatine be playing a factor in all of this?

Stress induced hair loss could be temporary or it could precipitate your genetic hair loss (in other words, you might’ve lost hair anyway due to genetics somewhere down the line and the stress just sped it up). I’d give it 6-9 months (or longer) before you start seeing some benefits. Those benefits could be regrowth or they could just be halting the hair loss. Your doctor should’ve explained this to you when he/she prescribed it.

Hey Doc,

I came across a interesting article recently related to Merck, I thought I would pass it your way. It’s about Merck creating a doctor “hit list” for doctors who were against prescribing there medications.

Vioxx maker Merck and Co drew up doctor hit list

I wanted to get your thoughts. Thanks

Clearly, the facts that will be presented at trial will reflect the truth of any claims. I’d like to see the outcome before I render an opinion.

Hi Doctor,
I keep seeing Jon Gosselin of that Jon and Kate show on the entertainment news programs about how he cheated on his wife. Do you think that hair transplant you gave him was what gave him the courage to stray? Sorry, cheap shot! Ha Ha

Ouch. This is an uncomfortable topic to discuss (since it should be a private matter), but since this is the 3rd email I’ve received about it, I thought maybe I should address it once and put the topic to rest. This site isn’t TMZ, afterall.

I saw the same story on the cover of the Us Weekly magazine that we get in our office, and I couldn’t help but wonder the same thing for an extremely brief moment (as the public really only knows him as a hair transplant patient and what the reality TV show editors put forth). Then I came to my senses.

Obviously, fame brings on circumstances we might not normally find ourselves in, but it should be obvious that a hair transplant isn’t going to force you to do anything. That’s such a convenient excuse, if there ever was one. Hair does give a man more confidence, but if the allegations are true (again, it’s none of our business), I’m sure there are more factors at play than just some enhanced cosmetic surgery that caused this man to find himself in this precarious situation. I guess the one upside to this whole thing is that I can now see Jon Gosselin’s great hair transplant results on the cover of major magazines…

are rogaine and propecia chemical based or herbal? will long term exposure to these oils have drastic effect on one’s kidneys? kindly let me know if these oils will stop hairfall or enhance growth,or the efeect will be only as long as one continues its use? i am just 24 years old, and a male. i am afraid i am shedding hair.i just want to be forearmed. that is all. thank you in advance for your advice.

Nope. Neither minoxidil nor Propecia are herbal medications, although finasteride (Propecia) was discovered in the Amazon rainforest amongst natives who showed problems with penis development and hermaphroditism. Yes, strange but true.

I don’t know of any link between Rogaine (minoxidil), Propecia (finasteride), and kidney problems. The benefits of either medication will disappear if you discontinue use. The reports of shedding are highly overrated by a small number of individuals on the internet and the shedding is not reported to last more than a couple of months. It should not produce any significant balding (just increased cycling of the hair).

First I want to thank you for this wonderful site which is really interesting and a genuine source of information about androgenetic alopecia. I am from latinoamerica and its really difficult here to find any good information about this.

I have read that you have a lot of patients who have been taking Finasteride for over a decade and succeeded in maintaining most of their hair. My question is: do these people still (today) maintain their hair, almost 12 years later?

There are many men who have been taking Propecia (finasteride) and have maintained their hair for the 12 years it has been on the market. And some for even longer than that. Propecia itself has been available since 1997, but the drug finasteride was being prescribed for off-label use (it was a prostate treatment initially) for years prior to that to treat hair loss… much in the same way Avodart (dutasteride) has been.

It’s really unique for each patient, though. Will you retain all of your results for the next dozen years if you take the medication? I have no idea.

Snippet from the article:

Robb Greve has always been a handsome man but when it comes to his hair he is very sensitive. He wore his hat everywhere and if he was asked to take off his hat in a public place he would take his family and leave.

This man avoided the national anthem at a Cardinals football game and stayed away from church because he did not want to take off his hat. Situations like this limited the fun that his family has had together.

His wife Anne has agonized over the burden of his hat. So she got her family together and unknown to him they nominated him for the new reality show ‘Hair Loss Confidential’

Full article at AZ Central - Valley man in hair loss reality show

Sounds interesting, but no information is given as to whether the show has been picked up by a network to actually air on television (network or cable). It might just wind up on the web. But if you read the full article, it alludes to this man being shocked at how he suddenly had a full head of hair immediately after the procedure. What it fails to mention is that those hairs will likely fall out and he won’t see any growth for months. That’s entertainment…

Greetings
I’m a bit confused as I’m planning to start using Proscar ( cut into 4 parts) to treat my male pattern hairloss. I’ve read that some people cuz they can’t cut the pill in the same size let’s say (1.25, 1.50…etc) so there’s no stability in the size of the pills, they said they faced shedding… is that right? and what to do in that case

There is no real scientific way to answer this question. My opinion is that the small daily variations should not make a difference if you cut a 5mg finasteride pill (Proscar) into 4 parts compared to the 1mg pre-made finasteride pill (Propecia).

Just a quick question. I read on a previous post that a rare known side effect of Propecia is the reduction of body hair. Will this hair grow back after Propecia has been stopped?

If Propecia caused a loss of body hair, when you stop the medication the body hair should return.

Recently I noticed that I have a slightly thinning crown. I went to the dermatologist and he said hes not really sure what is happening but said that it might be male pattern baldness. My father (an internest, who happens to be bald) looked at it, as did my pediatrician and they both said the follicles look healthy, and my pediatrician said hes not sure, could be alopecia areata or male pattern baldness. He didnt know. My pediatrician told me to use 5% monoxidil once a day for about 2 months and to come back to him. However i heard that if you do not know the reason of your hairloss you can cause permanent damage. Im really confused and dont know what to do

I am 18 years old. Is it true that if you use Rogaine on existing hair you can destroy that hair? I put it on my hairline, (norwood class 2. My oldest brother (26 years old) has the same hairline as i do and he doesnt show signs of balding, my other brother (23 years old) has a norwood class 1 hairline, but he has grey hairs - my mother started getting grey hair around that age, which is making me worry i have my fathers genes b/c i dont have grey hairs) and im worried that i might damage the hair. I also notice that when i put it on my head im coming back with alot of hair in my hand.

I went through a very stressful time and i also wasnt eating very well (im studying overseas now for the year…). I limited most of the food they gave us and mainly ate salads, and even then i would work out about an hour later to work it all off. - at first i thought might be telogen effluvium but its just in my crown so im a little worried. Thank you

Rogaine (minoxidil) should not destroy existing hair, but I don’t know that Rogaine would do much good at the hairline anyway. It might work, but I can’t say for sure one way or the other. If you’re experiencing hair loss in the crown, that should be where you’re using the Rogaine. Or even better, talk to your physician about a prescription for Propecia (which works wonders in the crown) if you’ve got genetic hair loss. I don’t want to guess if you’re experiencing hair loss due to genetic causes or stress or what… but if your primary care physician isn’t too sure, I’d try to seek out a dermatologist or even a hair transplant doctor (only because they know hair well, not because you should even consider a surgical procedure at your age). With early thinning in the crown, it certainly doesn’t sound like alopecia areata. If you saw bald spots all over your scalp, that would be a different story.

The hair loss gene can come from either side of the family and can even skip generations, so just because you lack grey hairs doesn’t mean you’re not going to inherit a hair pattern that someone else in your family had. There is no substitute for an expert who can examine your hair and tell you if you have genetic balding. There is even a genetic test for the balding gene that is available today for about $250.

i’m a norwood 2ish 28yr old wondering is propecia would work for me. i’m perfectly ok with where my hairline is at currently, but don’t want my widows peak going any deeper. my dermatologist gave a script for propecia without much of an examination. i’ve read several things about shedding, and propecia not working on the hairline that have scared me away from actually getting my script filled. i guess my two questions are, can propecia keep my hairline where it is at if i’m a good responder? and if i experience a shed, is it something that can be cosmetically significant?

Propecia is not known to work on the hairline or reverse hair loss on the hairline (it happens in extremely rare cases). Without an examination (especially a miniaturization study) I really cannot tell you that if you are even a candidate for Propecia, as we need a diagnosis. You may not be balding! Do not let your fear of balding dictate your treatment.

With regard to Propecia shedding, I have only rarely seen or heard about this, mostly on comments here on the BaldingBlog and on other hair forums. I am virtually certain that this phenomenon is blown out of proportion and I would doubt that when it appears, it would be cosmetically significant.