Rogaine and Propecia are popular hair loss medications men turn to in the early stages of hair loss. While both of these medications do have their uses, patients should be well informed of their pros and cons as well as best use indications and what to expect.
Hair Loss Medications: Rogaine and Propecia
Rogaine typically targets hair loss in your crown area, not the front of your head, which is where most hair loss patients are most worried about. It seems to be most effective for people under 40 dealing with recent hair loss. It does not restore receding hairlines or cure baldness, and whatever impact it does have in stopping hair loss ends within a few months of discontinuing use. In general, your mileage may vary with this medication.
Propecia slows down thinning hair and can even fill balding areas of your scalp with new hair, which makes it a helpful tool in keeping the area around your transplant looking nice. But patients who have undergone body hair transplantation in which hair from the beard and body areas have been transplanted to the scalp, should approach this medication with caution, and only after consulting with an expert hair transplant surgeon, because of concerns over the potential impact of Propecia on transplanted body hair.
Although Propecia has been approved by the FDA for restoring hair, hair loss patients must still regard it with caution and weigh the risks against the proposed benefits.
Hair Loss Medications versus Hair Transplantation
Hair loss treatment drugs will have different effects on different individuals. While satisfactory new growth may result for some people, this is not a universal or guaranteed phenomenon, especially with more advanced stages of baldness and thinning.
At the moment, hair transplant surgery is the most reliable way to restore desired forms of coverage. Whereas medications target physiological pathways (which are still being researched by scientists), surgery simply transfers follicles from one area to another.
When performed by highly experienced surgeons, hair transplantation can produce amazingly natural looking results. Here are a few real life examples.
Should Younger Men Use Hair Loss Medications Until A Certain Age
Younger men should try the medications to judge efficacy as well as side effects. Propecia is known to cause erectile dysfunction which could be temporary or on rare occasions permanent. Before judging usefulness, Dr U recommends using the medication for at least 8 months. If it is determined to be efficacious, the medication can be continued for as long as tolerated or until it becomes ineffective or side effects intervene.
Q. Do I really need to be on Propecia forever? What is the consequence of stopping propecia?