Hair is thining on sides a little and I think I'm receeding in the corners of my temples. Actually, I know I am. Not too bad yet but I dont want to see it get worst.

I know minoxidil isnt effective for frontal/receeding baldness right? What about propecia?

Propecia is generally not effective at regrowing hair on the frontal hairline. However, it can strengthen hair that is starting to miniturize (starting to bald). So the hair can come back thicker and healthier and not fall out.
Don't count on regrowth. But it is worth a shot. Keeping what you have can be a really great thing, you know.

vocor1
Knowledge is Power
If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I've been on propecia for a little over 4 months, and prior to that, for the past year or so, I noticed unusual amounts of hair on my comb on a consistent basis. That seemed to have subsided after about 2 months of use of Propecia, so for me, it appears to have slowed, possibly halted, the hairloss in the frontal region. Hairloss is cyclical also, so it's kind of early to tell, but that's my results to date. Had I started using it, say 4 years ago, I probably could have avoided or delayed having a procedure.

Both medications can work anywhere you have follicle miniaturization. They may perform "better" for some guys in the crown than they do in the front, but that doesn't mean they can't work in the front for some. It depends on the guy.

The most effective use is as preventative medicine. Regrowing lost hair is harder than saving what you've got, no matter where it is.

Even if medication can't regrow your temples, you should be using it to slow or stop the progression. As far as regrowth, all you can do is cross your fingers and try...

No. Proscar is NOT effective in treating frontal hairlines.

Matthew

I have to disagree with your blanket statement. As others have said, it really depends on the person. For some it works, and for others it does not. I have been on Proscar/Propecia for 3.5 years now and I know it has saved a lot of my hair. How can I know this for certain? Because I have an identical twin brother who is not on any medications and while I have a fairly full Norwood 3 pattern with fair density in the front middle area, my brother is completely shiny bald all the way back to the top of his head.

Proscar and Rogaine can both work for frontal areas. You just have to give it a try and see if it works for you.

I have been taking proscar for 5 months and it
has re-grown hair on my hairline, particularly in the frontal tuft.

Proscar can and does work for frontal hair loss - at least for me anyway.

I posted a before and after photo in the Drugs forum here, of a guy who went to NHI for a transplant. He had never tried Propecia. They told him to come back after he had been on Propecia for a while. The guy had amazing results, including in the hairline, and did not need a transplant.

Again, anywhere that miniaturization occurs, Propecia "can" work. It may work better or more often in crown (?) but that doesn't mean it can't work in the hairline too.

So is this ping-pong match still going on? I went to talk to Dr. Sharon Keene of Tucson and she told me that I should try the Proscar whether I get the procedure or not. First try it of course so that I can forego the procedure if it does a good job.
I asked her about the claims about not regrowing hair in the frontal hairline area. Basically I told her about how I asked UpJohn to explain their disclaimer that Rogaine is not verified to grow hair anywhere but the crown.

Dr. Keene said that Rogaine will work anywhere at regrowing the hair and that it doesn't matter. Also I believe she used the same argument for Proscar. I have to still verify this. The main criteria is if there are still hairs present. I myself still have hair there but it is miniaturized.

I am still wary of the side effects of Proscar(propecia) so I have to see if I feel comfortable with using. But since Dr. Keene has been doing these operations for years, I figure she has some credibility on how a drug would work. Of course we are not all alike.

Anyone have more testimonials on their experience with Finasteride??

AZDIZ

quote:

Originally posted by arfy:
I posted a before and after photo in the Drugs forum here, of a guy who went to NHI for a transplant. He had never tried Propecia. They told him to come back after he had been on Propecia for a while. The guy had amazing results, including in the hairline, and did not need a transplant.

Again, anywhere that miniaturization occurs, Propecia "can" work. It may work better or more often in crown (?) but that doesn't mean it can't work in the hairline too.

And this would also be the case for Proscar correct? Propecia and Proscar are the same exact thing, just one is a lower dosage and the other is broken up into lower dosages?

For example, if this guy had taken lets say Proscar instead of Propecia, his results would have been the same correct?

itsgoing,

Correct......Propecia is 1mg of finasteride, Proscar is 5mg of finasteride usually cut into fourths for a 1.25mg dosage. Results would have been the same.

Thanks hairbank.


I am opting for the Proscar because of the cost involved, however in my head I always tend to overthink things, and since one is labled for Prostate and the other for Hairloss, the natural thing to do is opt for Propecia because it sounds less scary (lol) and is marketed better for our specific needs. I guess I just need reassurance that yes, infact it is the same thing and are getting the same results. Both contain finasteride and you aren't toying with something that potentially won't work because you are trying to do it cheaper.

btw, your results have been amazing, I checked your weblog. Congrats. I am only 22 and have been thinning for about a year. Well, actually my temples have been receding before that, but I didn't pay to much attention or notice until the heavy thinning on top and I finally decided to do something about it now before it gets really bad. My father was completely bald by 28. So I understand it will be an uphill battle but I am hoping for the best. Really shakes your confidence at this age...

I do the same thing..........cutting Proscar is a pretty good savings.

Glad to hear you're doing everything possible for loss prevention. I was around your age when I started thinning in the crown. Though my loss has been gradual, I did hit Norwood 4 status before HT #1. Had I made a consistent effort to try and prevent the loss with Finasteride and a good hair care regimen, I may have only progressed to NW 2?? Who knows.

Do everything you can and maybe you can avoid HT's. Hopefully you'll respond well to Finasteride..............try and add a scalp and hair care product to your regimen like Nioxin and/or Nizoral. Search the threads here....there's plenty of info.

Good luck!

Hi

I have not heard of anyone who said Minoxidil worked in the frontal area. In fact it generally is accepted that is does not.. Of course it helps to do anything possible. Propecia, can stop your hairloss and regrow some hair.. Results may vary on all drugs based on the individual but I think there are some generalzed expectations.. Just search the forum for some relaistic expectations

Good luck

Well Propecia/Minoxidil is like a lottery it works good for some people and is not so good for others. Waittosee is a good example of a person who responds really well to Propecia/Minoxidil and has pretty much regrown hair everywhere including on his hairline:

http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6566060861/m/9971052481

hey Guys,
I am new to this forum and hope you guys will be able to help me out by giving me some precious suggestions.
I have been losing hair for the past 3-4 years but in the past 6 months my hair loss has been dramatic and i see tons of hair falling off.
I have been taking propecia for the past 1 month and hav even seen more shedding, i dont know if thats for good ot not?
i have been thinning on the top

dj,

This thread is old, sheck the date in the upper left corner of each post.

Since you are new we forgive you

If you are shedding on propecia at first it is a sign that you may be a good responder to it, stay on it and those hairs will return stronger if you are truly a good responder.



Hairbank - you want your old job back as the chief of the dead thread police??

Basically, neither Rogaine nor Finasteride have been approved for frontal baldness because in the thousands of hours of required clinical trials for FDA approval, the effectiveness was not significant enough in frontal baldnes. Of course, you have to consider that many of the men they tested on were mostly advanced "crown baldness" types, and it is generally known that nothing on this earth will save frontal hairline follicles after they have been dead over a year or so.
So basically, there is not enough clinical evidence for anyone to correctly say that finasteride or rogaine are effective in treating a receding hairline, but many physicians continue to give prescriptions for these drugs for just such use. This is because of all the anecdotal evidence and short-handed, case-study type rumors that a propecia/rogaine regemin can work. I think that it is financially unnecessary for Merck (I think it's merck, right?) to spend all that money to run the tests for frontal baldness when they can sell just as much of the drug while docs prescribe off-label.
Me, personally, I am using both Rogaine and Proscar(cut into fractions, IT IS the exact same as Propecia), and just hoping for the best. I'll try to keep everyone informed.

The debate between what these 2 treatments do or do not do is pointless. First of all, the results vary from person to person.The treatments can stop hair fall and have some regrowth effects. Only one way to find out, use them and see what results come.