How successful is Finasteride?


Finasteride has different success rates for different people. For some it has no effect whereas others find that it stops the balding process and some find that it causes some hair to re- grow. It is impossible to judge the effectiveness of finasteride until you have taken it for a period of at least twelve months.

What are the Success Rates for Finasteride?

Several studies have been done to find the effects and success of finasteride. The most recent of these tested over 1000 men between the ages of eighteen and forty- one who had mild or moderate pattern balding. Out of this number, around 25% of the patients did see any effects from finasteride use.

In the first year of treatment, about half of the patients experienced improved hair growth in which the hair was longer and thicker. After two years of continuous treatment about two thirds of the patients showed improved hair growth.

In studies of older men, aged between forty- one and sixty finasteride is shown to be less effective. Only forty percent of men in this age group experienced improved hair growth after two years of taking finasteride.

It was found that if finasteride was used continuously over five years it would help to maintain the initial results and slow further balding. However, the effects were not permanent and after stopping treatment its positive effects were seen to completely disappear within twelve months.

In a study of finasteride on post- menopausal women, using doses of 1 mg per day there were found to be few useful effects. However when the dose was increased to above 1. 25 mg per day the results were more effective.

How Effective is Finasteride?

Finasteride's effectiveness is limited however; it does work quite well for several patients. For finasteride to be effective, you have to wait for the results to emerge, as the process is often slow and can take up to two years. Finasteride's effectiveness begins to wear off after five years of treatment and eventually its positive effects are reversed and the balding process will begin again.

How Can You Increase the Chances that Finasteride Will be a Success?

There is little that can be done to ensure that finasteride will be a success. However, there are some things that you should bear in mind during the treatment, which may help you to give it more of a chance at success.

The first of these is that finasteride can cause your hair to fall out in the first stages of treatment. This is caused by the follicles, which cause the old hair to be removed as they attempt to grow new hair because of the treatment. This can be alarming and many people decide to stop treatment at this stage. However, hair shedding at the start of finasteride treatment is a sign that it is working rather than a sign that you should stop treatment.

You should take the correct dose of finasteride at roughly the same time every day. The normal dose to treat hair loss is 1 mg every day in the form of one pill. You should not self regulate this by increasing and decreasing the dose as finasteride requires consistency to be most successful. Hormone medication needs to be kept in balance in order for your body to function properly. If you feel that your dose needs adapting, you should speak to a medical professional who will be able to advise you on this.

Finally, finasteride can take a long time to be effective and in order for your treatment to be a success you will need to be patient with it. Some people experience results after three months by many others have to wait between one and two years to see results. Therefore, if you want your treatment to be a success you will have to continue to take it on a daily basis for at least two years to begin to see its results.

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