subject: Does Propecia Regrow Hair [print this page] Does Propecia Regrow Hair Does Propecia Regrow Hair
Male pattern baldness is a condition that effects millions of men all over the world and for some it can be a stressful time. I know how it feels to wake up every morning and try to ignore the state of my hair because the realisation of going bald is too much to deal with. But there is hope. There are some great clinically tested and FDA approved products on the market that are proven to treat hair loss and one of those is Propecia but does propecia regrow hair?
What is Propecia?
Propecia is the market name for Finasteride which is a drug that was developed to treat prostate problems. When this drug was in use, people started to notice that it had some really positive effects on those with male pattern baldness. Those men who were being treated who were rapidly losing their hair found that this process was stopped and some even found that they had more hair then when they started the treatment.
Following these positive effects, Finasteride went in to clinical testing for the sole purpose of treating hair loss (at a lower dose then prostate treatments). The study lasted two years and had 1500 participants. Of the men that were tested, 83% found Propecia to be effective. The study was so conclusive that in 1998 Propecia gained the approval of the FDA (approved, not just registered with). This was a huge vote of confidence for the drug as the high success rate is rarely seen in the pharmaceutical world.
How does Propecia work?
Hair loss is considered genetic which is why so many men resign themselves to the fact that they are going bald. So, what is it in the genes that causes hair loss? There is a gene that causes you to produce more of a hormone called DHT (a type of testosterone) which then causes the hair follicles to malfunction and shut down. This means that new hair is not grown and some of the hair that you have is lost.
Propecia works to block this hormone from ever reaching the scalp and therefore there is no hair loss.
Does Propecia regrow hair or just stop hair loss?
Propecia's primary function is to stop hair loss but does Propecia regrow hair? In some cases the absence of the hormone DHT meant that some hair follicles could reawaken after a short dormant period. Those hair follicles that have been dormant for a while would be far less likely to start functioning again through the use of Propecia. This is why starting treatment as soon as possible is recommended.
So, does Propecia regrow hair? In many cases, yes. However, your main objective when using Propecia should be to keep the hair that you currently have. There are other products that contain minoxidil that are proven to help regrow hair if you find that Propecia has not helped with hair regrowth.
