Finasteride belongs to the synthetic steroids and is used to treat hereditary hair loss in men, as well as prostatic hyperplasia.
What is finasteride?
Finasteride is a drug originally developed to treat benign enlargement of the prostate, but its stimulating effect on male hair growth has also been established and is used in pill form for this purpose.
For the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement of the prostate) the agent is used in doses of 5 mg, in the treatment of hereditary hair loss in doses of 1 mg. The symptoms of an enlarged prostate, for example the reduced urine flow, can subside after about half a year with therapy.
According to some studies, the consequences of hereditary hair loss can be counteracted in two out of three men with significant new hair growth. However, the side effects of finasteride can lead to prostate cancer or sexual dysfunction.
Pharmacological effect
Finasteride is one of the synthetic steroids and inhibits the conversion of the sex hormone testosterone into the modified form dihydrotestosterone.
Research has shown that some hair follicles are sensitive to dihydrotestosterone and stop growing. This behavior of the hair follicles is widespread and hereditary. As a result of the treatment with finasteride, the growth phase of the hair follicles is extended. How effective this therapy is depends on the remaining activity of the hair follicle. If this has already decreased significantly, it will probably no longer react to the finasteride.
If the use of the product has been started and it shows success, finasteride must be taken as long as the man wishes to keep his hair. The baldness is thus postponed to a later stage of life and begins again at the latest when the finasteride is discontinued. Some studies show that finasteride has a huge chance of success in combating hereditary hair loss.
In over 80% of the test persons a stop of the continuous hair loss could be determined and in over 60% even a renewed regression and strengthening of already clearly unproductive hair follicles. This effect was also shown in men who were well past the age of 40.
Medical application & use
Even if Finasteride enjoys great popularity in the treatment of hereditary hair loss in men, it is also still used in the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia and shows good results in the higher dose of 5 mg per day, which can lead to a significant reduction in symptoms.
In the treatment of hair loss, finasteride, like the externally applied minoxidil, shows good results on the hairline and on the skull plate, with greater results in the back of the head. In a 10-year study, only 14% of men had no reduction in hair loss. However, the results vary significantly. There are also men who did not notice any improvement in the first year of treatment, but were successful afterwards.
In addition to the treatment of prostatic hyperplasia and hereditary hair loss, there are also some reports on the use of hormonal control in transsexuals who want to convert from man to woman. However, this application has not shown great success and is not recommended. Especially since finasteride can lead to emotional imbalance, and transsexuals, due to their complicated situation, already belong to the risk group anyway.
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➔ Medication for hair loss and baldnessRisks & side effects
Finasteride can lead to a variety of undesirable side effects. These include above all impotence, gynecomastia (enlargement of the mammary gland in men), erectile dysfunction, ejaculation disorder, testicular pain and depression.
Many sufferers report permanent side effects, even after they have stopped finasteride. Although finasteride is used to treat benign prostate enlargement, it increases the risk of prostate cancer from taking it.
Erectile dysfunction and decreased sexual desire may go away after stopping the drug, but in many cases a permanent disorder has been reported, even after stopping the drug. Even with a mild dose of 1 mg per day, more than 70% of patients have mild to severe cases of depression.
