When searching for treatments for male pattern baldness and hair loss, you might’ve already come across this word— finasteride. As you understand how you can get results with Finasteride and why it’s an effective medication for hair loss, here’s a rundown of what it can actually do, and more.
Finasteride Explained
Finasteride is a medication used for treating hair loss in men, specifically male pattern balding. This oral drug is taken to induce hair growth, especially on areas on the scalp where strands are beginning to grow sparsely.
It’s able to stabilise the presence and possible over-functioning of DHT or dihydrotestosterone, a hormone found only in men and is considered an androgen responsible for the development of male sex steroids and other male characteristics. And yes, one of the said characteristics includes hair growth in the male population.
Although there’s yet no precise explanation as to the exact workings of DHT and how it interacts with hair growth and hair loss, scientists agree that it somehow attacks hair follicles. Androgen receptors (which, though the process of binding, regulate the movement of genes deemed as androgen-responsive) attach themselves to hair follicles. In doing, they cause the shrinking of said follicles.
It’s because of this “shrinkage” that the cycle of male pattern hair loss begins. Follicle-shrinking implies that the strands that emerge from out of them are thinner than average. Over time, as hair continues to become sparse, hair growth will eventually stop altogether.
As this progresses to the rest of the areas on your scalp, unless any kind of medication is applied to said areas, your head may completely succumb to male pattern baldness.
Does It Work?
Hair loss medications aren’t absolute in their effectiveness. Factors such as lifestyle, body composition, genes, and more, are variables that will either help further the efficacy of said medications or otherwise.
Having said that, studies have shown that more than 50% of the male population who’ve tried going through finasteride treatment have experienced results. Though the depth of results varies from one person to the next, general findings reveal that after about 5 to 6 months of using finasteride regularly, men have seen thicker hair growth on scalp spots with sparse hair growth.
There’s also a percentage of clinical trials wherein such results came about after at least a year.
So, yes. There’s a larger rate of success with regards to finasteride. This may, in part, be because of its ability to target follicles so that instead of shrinking due to DHT, they’re brought back to their normal size and function.
In contrast, there’s a debate about whether or not finasteride can “stop” male pattern baldness in total. As of current, there are only a few claims in terms of noticing how their “bald spots” became “smaller” in diameter.
Researchers have said that this hair growth stimulator can merely spur on hair thickening, not so much as to “reclaim” portions of the head that already bald in the first place. Then again, because as mentioned, results vary per person, you’ll want to test this for yourself to find out how finasteride will affect you.
Consultation
It’s best that you consult your doctor to warrant that you’re cleared of any other medication that may impede the effects of finasteride, or cause severe negative impacts on your health. Of course, these happen only in rare cases. Still, it’s better to be safe and medically guided regarding this.
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