Last updated: 06-07-2022
Shall I or shall I not start Finasteride? This is a very common query. If you have reached age 50 and have male-pattern hair loss, you need not worry as it is expected; most men experience this male pattern hair loss in middle age. You are lucky the treatment options exist. You can no longer feel embarrassed; just start the available treatment and see the improvement.
Finasteride is one of the more viable options. It is an androgen for preventing hair loss. It not only manages male-pattern hair loss but also aids stimulation and regrowth of hair in men. In addition, Finasteride treats the receding hairline, gradual thinning of hair on the scalp or baldness.
The drug is not a lifetime cure; just a treatment men must keep taking if they want to stop hair loss.
Finasteride is only effective while it is in your system
Finasteride stops the transformation of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the male sex hormone responsible for baldness. Finasteride blocks about 64% of DHT -- enough to significantly slow, or even stop, hair loss in most men.
As Finasteride works by blocking the specific enzyme responsible for DHT, it only prevents hair loss while the medicine is active in your body. Once you stop taking it, your body converts testosterone to DHT again, and your hair follicles begin to react as they usually would.
When you start Finasteride, what happens is that hair follicles that were previously in the resting phase after being affected by DHT become active and begin to grow. Stopping Finasteride means hair starts to fall out much faster than usual – resulting in the shedding.
You need to take Finasteride daily to be effective. The drug has a half-life of about 5-6 hours. Once you stop taking Finasteride, the medication active in your body gradually declines till it totally excretes after several days. When there are no traces of Finasteride in your body, the 5a-Reductase enzyme is no longer blocked. The body will again start converting testosterone into DHT.
In men genetically prone to male pattern baldness, stopping Finasteride will result in thinning of the hair on your scalp, hairline recession, and other male pattern baldness effects. In other words, DHT will once again start affecting hair follicles.
What happens if you stop taking Finasteride?
Once you stop taking Finasteride, the most expected outcome is that your hair will start to fall out. This is because the drug only works when it is active in your body and blocks DHT production. Therefore, you will likely experience the same hair loss rate once the medicine is totally excreted from your body.
The effect of Finasteride does not last forever, and the drug will only work if you take a tablet every day. Once you stop taking Finasteride, DHT levels will gradually increase, causing hair follicles to shrink. The natural balding process will resume after a few months.
Ensure that you also provide all the required vitamins by eating a well-balanced diet, like foods that promote hair growth and help maintain hair health.
Conclusion
Finasteride is an androgen for preventing hair loss. It manages male-pattern hair loss, aids stimulation and regrowth of hair. In addition, Finasteride treats the receding hairline, gradual thinning of hair on the scalp or baldness.
Unfortunately, the effects of the drug are not permanent. You need to take Finasteride daily to be effective. It only prevents hair loss while the drug is active in your body. Once you stop taking Finasteride, you will likely experience the same hair loss.
Finasteride isn’t a lifetime cure; just a treatment men must keep taking if they want to stop hair loss.