Why am I still going bald on finasteride? (2024)

Why am I still going bald on finasteride?

Why am I still going bald on Finasteride? To answer this question, you need to consider how long you've been taking Finasteride. Finasteride hair shedding is a common side effect in the first few months, as your hair growth cycle adjusts to this new medication.

Finasteride shedding is a normal part of the hair growth process when taking this medication, and is actually a sign that the drug is working — so you shouldn't try to prevent it. The best thing to do is continue with your prescribed course of the hair loss medication and speak to your trichologist about any concerns.

There are two main reasons why finasteride might not work for you: The type of hair loss you have can't be treated with medication such as finasteride. You started taking it when too much hair loss had already occurred.

If your receding hairline is caused by something other than DHT — say, hair styling methods that damage your follicles — finasteride won't help. Also, while it may slow down hair loss, there's no guarantee finasteride will regrow a receding hairline.

If you're taking finasteride and not seeing any noticeable changes, it could be that the medication is simply preventing more hair loss. You may want to talk to your doctor if you're not seeing the results you'd like, but if you stop taking finasteride for this reason alone, you could end up with more hair loss.

Over the long term, finasteride works well as a treatment for hair loss. In fact, a 10-year study of finasteride found that more than 99 percent of men who use it experience no further progression of their hair loss over the long term.

A: Usually the shedding associated with finasteride will subside by 6 months. If you are still losing hair at 8 months, most likely the medication is not working.

Another study found that Finasteride users with crown hair loss are more likely to see greater regrowth over time. 66% of people had improved hair growth after two years of use, compared with 48% after one year [2]. You're also more likely to get good Finasteride results if your hair loss is in the early stages.

The Final Say on Finasteride Results

With that said, combining finasteride with minoxidil, while also eating a diet rich in important hair-building nutrients like iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and protein, is enough to help you grow stronger, healthier hair provided you consistently use it.

Finasteride results after 6 months

While the bald spot on the crown is still visible for each of the patients, there's clear regrowth around the hairline and temples. This increase in hair density will eventually lead to fuller hair across the scalp.

How do you know if finasteride is working or not?

Finasteride starts working immediately in your body. It gets to work reducing DHT levels straight away. But, unfortunately, you won't notice improvements in hair loss immediately. It can take three or four months — or even a year — to start seeing a reduction in hair loss and any hair regrowth.

Most of the time when people are chatting about the big 3 for hair loss, they are referring to Minoxidil, Finasteride, and Ketoconazole (Nizoral) shampoo. Although, there are some who feel like the third component of the big 3 should be microneedling in place of Ketoconazole shampoo.

"Therefore the men who tend to respond most impressively to finasteride tend to be in their 20s and 30s, when their hair loss is less advanced. However, older men can still experience significant slowing or even a degree of reversal of their hair loss."

YES finasteride is an effective treatment that can slow down, prevent and even reverse the effects of male pattern baldness. BUT it does have limitations — it can't bring hair back from the dead.

Although there is no cure for hair loss, a number of treatments can slow or reduce hair loss, stimulate partial regrowth or replace damaged hair. Surgical hair transplantation can help some men who have advanced balding. Despite advances in our understanding of hair loss, there are limits to current treatment.

Outlook (Prognosis) Male pattern baldness does not indicate a medical disorder, but it may affect self-esteem or cause anxiety. The hair loss is usually permanent.

It requires a dermatological examination to determine whether your hair loss is temporary, which indicates that if the trigger or the cause of the hair loss is eliminated, you may restore the volume of your hair within a period or whether you are experiencing progressive hair loss.

Keep in mind that it's unlikely for finasteride to regrow hair in completely bald areas, but it can help thicken up hair in areas where you've started to notice miniaturization.

Vitamin D is required to produce new hair and research has suggested that increasing your vitamin D intake (if you have low levels) can limit hair loss to male pattern baldness. It's not guaranteed, but increasing your intake of vitamin D alongside using finasteride may help you see results faster.

This study showed that 66% of those men taking Finasteride daily for two years saw substantial improvement in their hair growth. However, Finasteride can stop hair loss effectively in 90% of men, which is our baseline expectation.

Does finasteride sometimes not work?

Studies show that 83% of men with crown hair loss can stop balding using Finasteride [2]. But sometimes Finasteride doesn't work. This can happen for several reasons, so if you're concerned about your male pattern baldness, it's important to uncover why Finasteride is not working for you.

While the musculoskeletal outcomes were the same in those taking Finasteride with TE and those just taking TE, Finasteride didn't prevent men from gaining muscle. Testosterone enanthate is an artificial anabolic steroid, which makes it a key contributor to these muscle gains.

Finasteride is one of only two FDA-approved treatments that's proven to combat male pattern baldness—but it doesn't work its magic overnight. It may take at least four months of daily use of finasteride before you notice an improvement in your hair loss. And some men may not see real results for six (or more) months.

In a review published in the journal, Drugs, researchers found that 83 percent of men with male pattern baldness experienced no change in their hair count after using finasteride over a period of two years.

How long does it take to work? You may notice an improvement a little while after you start taking finasteride. However, for an enlarged prostate it can take up to 6 months for this medicine to work fully. For hair loss, you can expect to see some improvement after 3 to 6 months.