Propecia

What is Propecia?

Propecia® (Finasteride), available in the UK since 1997, is the first and only oral medication approved for the treatment of male pattern hair loss. Effective in around 99% of male patients at preventing further hair loss as well generating new growth on both the vertex and the anterior mid-scalp areas.

You can expect to see results within as little as 3 months of using Propecia, with hair growth likely to begin in around 6-12 months. Although this treatment may not work for everyone many people who use it have achieved dramatic hair growth with many of these having a full head of hair within 5 years of using the medication.

How does propecia work?

Propecia contains the active ingredient finasteride which is a class of medication known as a type II 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, that works to prevent the conversion of testosterone to the stronger sex hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone, DHT, is formed on the scalp when testosterone and the enzyme type II 5-alpha reductase react with each other. The created sex hormone gets into the hair follicles and works to damage and shrink them, preventing visible hair from being grown. As Propecia helps to inhibit this process the amount of DHT on both the scalp and in a patients blood which in turn can cause a reversal of the balding process.

This treatment is taken orally once a day and must be taken for as long as you wish to keep the results of using this treatment. Results can be expected within 3 months of taking this treatment, with a slowing down and prevention of further hair loss being initially experienced. Within 6-12 months it is possible for hair to re-grow and within 5 years this can result in a full head of hair depending on how well you react with this treatment.