In this blog we are going to talk about therapies for male pattern baldness, specifically Finasteride treatment. Many people come to us and tell us that they have tried many things for hair loss, but non of them are working. We we ask them what happened when they stopped the therapy, they tell us that it got worse.
When clients come to us wanting hair transplant surgery, one of the first questions we ask is; "Are you taking medical stimulation and blocking therapy?". Finasteride treatment is known as a blocking therapy as it blocks the production of DHT which causes hair loss in susceptible individuals.
This brings us to our first major point and that is; "success in usage of hair loss therapy should be defined as not losing more hair". If your hair is not getting any thinner, then that can be considered as the first level of success.
A greater level of success may be defined as an improvement in hair thickness. This is possible in some cases but not all cases and will be depend largely on how soon the client presents to us with a hair loss concern. Once balding has set in the hair follicles are no longer viable and no therapy is able to resurrect them. Realistically we are better at stabilising hair loss rather than increasing and improving the density of hair. It may be possible for some people but not for everyone.
One thing we need to understand is that male pattern baldness is a progressive disorder. Without having any therapy it is guaranteed that in twelve months time your hair will be thinner than what it is today. In 1988 Finasteride came onto the market and in 1989 Minoxidil came onto the market. These two drugs have revolutionised the therapy of male pattern baldness.
In this blog we are going to talk about the use of Finasteride which is classed as a "blocker" therapy. Finasteride essentially blocks the effect of the enzyme five alpha reductase, which converts testosterone to DHT - di-hydro-testosterone.
5 alphareductase enzyme
Testosterone ................................................ > DHT
For those individuals that have the gene for hair loss, too much DHT will cause your hair to fall out. Therefore the objective of Finasteride is to block the enzyme five alpha reductase from converting testosterone to DHT. This way the level of DHT in the blood stream will be reduced. Finasteride treatment does not block the hormones but it does block the enzyme five alpha reductase. This will cause the level of DHT to go down and as a result also cause the level of testosterone to go up. Finasteride will decrease the level of DHT in the blood stream by 2/3 and the level of testosterone will go up by about 10%.
To give you statistics; men taking 1mg of Finasteride three times a week; of these men
In most men, reducing the level of DHT by 2/3 is enough to stabilise their hair loss. In other people because of their different genetics, they will continue shedding hair.
A good analogy is a bucket of water with a hole in the bottom of the bucket. The role of Finasteride treatment is not to add more water to the bucket, but to help plug the hole up, so that the rate of water loss is reduced. Finasteride may not block up the hole completely, but it will certainly help to reduce the flow of water out of the bucket.
Finasteride must be considered as a treatment for hair loss rather than a cure for hair loss. For you to benefit from Finasteride, you will need to continue taking Finasteride over a long period of time. Finasteride is essentially fighting your genes and fighting the five alpha reductase enzyme. You should only continue taking Finasteride for as long as you continue to care about hair loss. Many men once they reach fifty no longer care so much about their appearance or hair loss. In a small percentage of people it is possible to achieve stability without hair loss for 20 years by using Finasteride regularly.
Finasteride treatment is a specific therapy targeted only at male pattern baldness and has revolutionised the treatment of male pattern baldness. Finasteride has no side effect on the body's organs and is considered a very safe medicine. Another benefit of Finasteride is that it has no interaction with any other types of medications. Finasteride is safe and an effective treatment for male pattern baldness.
Just to dispel a few myths; some people believe that Finasteride treatment will increase their testosterone and help their libedo. It is true that Finasteride treatment may increase testosterone by 10% but this will have no significant effect on their libedo. There is a lot of misinformation on the internet about the side effects of Finasteride. However when Finasteride is taken at the recommended doses, it does not have any significant side effects. The side effects of Finasteride will be explored more deeply in a subsequent blog.
In summary, this blog discusses therapies for male pattern baldness, specifically Finasteride treatment. The primary objective of Finasteride is to block the enzyme five alpha reductase, which converts testosterone to DHT, a hormone that causes hair loss in individuals with the hair loss gene. Finasteride reduces the level of DHT in the bloodstream by 2/3 and stabilizes hair loss in most men. However, Finasteride must be considered a treatment rather than a cure for hair loss, and individuals must continue taking it for long periods to see its benefits. The blog also dispels some myths about the side effects of Finasteride.
