Is Finasteride / Propecia really working for me?

[ggonline]

Hi all,

It has been seven months since my HT surgery to the frontal area. I have been taking Finasteride for 11 months now. However, the crown area did not seem to have improved post HT surgery (photo on the right). It seems that it even got worse than before. I did not have a HT to the crown area. Do you suggest i continue taking Finasteride and  taking all these risks, even though i dont see improvement? 

[LaserCap]

Let's take your msg. one step at a time....

It typcally takes 12+ months to see the final result of the transplants.  That's the majority of cases.  There are cases where you can actually continue seeing improvement up to 18 months.  Be patient.  Unfortunately you did not post photos of the front, it is difficult to ascertain what results you had.  

It seems, from the photo, that you are thinning from the back to the front.  Do you know off hand how far back the doctor worked on your case?  Was it front and top?  Or just the front?

Medical therapies, (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP), it typically takes 12 months to see what they will do.  Here we need to be careful.  Most people expect.  And when they see no change, patients feel that the medications are not working.  The meds are not intended for you to grow anything. Rather, they are meant for you to keep what you have or the slow down the process. So the first suggestion is to also be patient.  Perhaps you should add some, if not all, of the other modalities to the mix.  They all work in different ways and are, thus, synergistic when used simultaneously.

Lastly, taking all these risks....What are you talking about?  All you read on the internet about possible side effects of Propecia? For patients that typically experience side effects, it tends to happen immediately.  If you never did, you never will.  I find it laughable how many patients that have been on Propecia for years, by the way, come in and say that they stopped because they read it on the internet.  (Who wrote it?), they have no clue.  The internet is a wonderful source of information but also of mis-information.  I've read that Propecia can grow a third arm! I've been on the medication for 20+ years and expect to continue taking it for the next 20. 

Could you be, coincidentally, experiencing normall shedding of the native hair?  Perhaps.  If you are noticing hair in the shower, the brush, etc....that's normal.  That hair typically returns.  Hair that is miniaturized and eventually dissappears is hair loss.  Again, be patient and keep taking photos.  

What does the Doctor say about what you are experiencing?  Perhaps he can examine you and give you more information.

I gather you did FUT? How many grafts?

  

 

[ggonline]

Thanks for this helpful information. I have attached more pictures that will explain the issue further. The doctor did not work on my crown area. I am satisfied with the progress in the frontal area. It was a FUT surgery with 4223 grafts. 

I understand that what mentioned online about Finasteride is misleading. But i also do not trust that the medical industry has completed enough studies to conclude how safe Finasteride is on the long term and what are the long term side effect. I don't think that anyone can answer this question until more studies are made as time passes. 

I am fine with continuing to take Finasteride but i just need advise if it is actually healing the crown area or not. The doctor believes its helping keep the frontal area thick but i did not get clear guidance about the crown area. He is in another country so seeing him is not easy. 
Any further advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

[LaserCap]

I'll give you my 2 cents regarding meds and research...I am certain others will be quick to correct me if something is incorrect.  

Since we are dealing with the population, tons of studies are done before the FDA gives its approval.  And, the company is to outline all possible side effects of the medication.  Have you seen daily commercials about different medications?  Some can even cause death.  

Proscar, the parent medication of Propecia, has been around for a long time.  Millions of people take the medication.  Side effects?  Of course.  Some more than others.  Some non at all.  We are all human, we are all different, and some things affect us more than others.  Genetics, our surroundings....probably many factors that have yet to be discovered.

During the ISHRS meeting in Las Vegas 2 years ago more negative news about Propecia came out.  And it seems that every year it's more of the same.  Months, maybe even years later, another report comes out refutiating the original findings.  And this goes around and around for years.  Eventually, as patients report side effects, trends allow for more education and research. 

I was helping a practice out in the East recently and had a lengthy conversation with the doctor about this same subject.  He had written a thesis on Propecia.  He is under the belief that the medication will eventually lead to dementia.  I guess we'll have to wait and see if this is the case.  For me, and I am not trying to be funny, I rather be crazy than having no hair.  

I am in agreement with you about many things.  Leave the crown for last, make sure meds are working,.....etc.  The crown is the spherical area of the head.  If you draw a point and draw a cross intersecting the point, you will notice that every hair is doing its own thing.  Not working together as in the front and top where the hair all grows forward and shingles.  It would take many, many procedures to achieve any type of density.  Everyone by definition, has to be thin in that area.  Honestly, I would leave it alone. Talk to your doctor about adding another modality to the mix and give it a year.