Does finasteride increase hair growth?

You know what’s funny? The fact that you’re reading this article. Why, you might ask? Well, let me tell you – it’s because I’m going to be talking about a topic that EVERYONE out there has Googled at some point in their lives. Whether you’re male or female, young or old, bald or not-so-bald (yet), the question of whether finasteride increases hair growth is something that even your grandma probably knows the answer to.

So why am I writing this article then? Because hey, maybe YOU haven’t heard of finasteride before. Or maybe you HAVE heard of it but don’t really know what it does. Either way, I’m here to clear things up for you and give my two cents on whether popping a finasteride pill will make your locks magically grow back (spoiler alert: it won’t).

What is Finasteride?

First off, let’s get one thing straight – finasteride wasn’t initially developed as a hair loss treatment (surprise surprise). Nope, its original purpose was to treat enlarged prostates in men (or benign prostatic hyperplasia if we want to get technical). So how did someone think of using it for hair loss too?

Well my friend(s), sometimes happy accidents happen. As people were taking the medication for their prostate problems though…voila! They began noticing an increase in hair growth too! Scientists then decided to investigate further and found out that finasteride actually works by blocking the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) (fancy terminology right there). And guess what DHT does? It causes miniaturization of hair follicles leading to eventual hair thinning/loss.

Finasteride blocks DHT production therefore allowing hairs stuck in limbo mode between growing and resting phases aka telogen and anagen phases respectively (more fancy terminology). And since the medication is meant to be taken orally, super tiny amounts of it end up circulating in your blood and therefore reaching your hair follicles too. Sounds cool right?

How Effective is Finasteride for Hair Loss?

The answer? It depends on who you ask. I mean technically speaking, finasteride has been shown to be effective when it comes to increasing hair growth in men with male pattern baldness – aka those receding hairlines or thinning crowns that make them look like less attractive versions of Bruce Willis (don’t @ me).

BUT (and this is a big BUT), studies have also shown that not everyone responds to the drug equally. In fact, according to research published in the International Journal of Trichology, only about 50-60% of people taking finasteride saw significant improvement “in terms of new growth, increased density and fuller-looking hair”. That’s a pretty big chunk if you think about it.

Now before you go ahead and think “well why should I bother then?!”, just remember that even though results may vary from person-to-person there are very few other treatments out there for which numerous scientific papers testify efficacy like they do about finasteride.

How Long Does It Take for Finasteride To Work

Wait…so…if someone does decide they want give finasteride a shot how long until they see results?

Great question my friend! The short (pun intended) answer would be: progress isn’t going to happen overnight (or overweek…) but given enough time yes good things can happen!

Studies show that guys can start seeing results within six months–at least anecdotally-speaking ,with improvement continuing up until 2 years mark (Definitely not something we could wave our hands scoffing at)

Howeverrrr as noted previously individuals can see different results, some reporting to see effects kicking in earlier on the one year point of mark.

What About Side Effects?

Anytime you’re taking a medication, or really doing anything remotely active that involves affecting something biologically within your body then there’s always the risk of side effects. It’s just kind of a given isn’t it? With finasteride specifically though, here are some possible issues:

• Decreased libido/erectile dysfunction: I mean who wants this as their first choice option when it comes to hair growth right?
• Breast enlargement/tenderness
• Depression/Anxiety
  Those are the three biggies folks–though other more benign impacts such as dizziness or weight gain (unlikely though) could be examined too. The good news is they aren’t common and often times the unpleasant reactions do cease once stopped with medication use.
  Still doesn’t sound great huh? Well unfortunately we can only induce progress so much without any limitations.

Conclusion

So what have we learned today my friends?

Well firstly we’ve learned that yes, finasteride has been shown to help increase hair growth in men with male pattern baldness (victory screech). However ,person-to-person variability IS an issue rendering it less universal and perhaps giving one needed doubts re its efficacious nature.

We also know that while side effects don’t occur for everyone who uses finasteride, they ARE definitely still a possibility–so if you do decide take healthy measures by researching beforehand and visiting a doctor before popping pills (I’ve done my own warning here – MANDATORY EMOJI TO BE INSERTED 🛑 honestly tho STAY SAFE GUYS)

And finally..the million dollar question-has your curiosity been satisfied yet?? Whether you should go ahead and try out Finisteride will likely come down somewhat down to how much evidence/research/professional advice you end up personally acquiring but at least now you can say without any hesitation that you know what the heck it means and how it works!

Dane Raynor

Hey there, I’m Dane Raynor, and I’m all about sharing fascinating knowledge, news, and hot topics. I’m passionate about learning and have a knack for simplifying complex ideas. Let’s explore together!