Facts and Myths About Propecia® Hair Growth Medication

Hair grows in many places on your body. In fact, each person possesses around 100,000 follicles. But you’re likely concerned if you start losing the hair on top of your head.

Hair loss occurs for different reasons, and although it’s common for men due to androgenetic alopecia (also called male pattern baldness), women may struggle with it as well over time.

At Meshkin Medical, we offer help with hair loss from our offices in Newport Beach and Glendale, California. Drs. Michael and Alister Meshkin and our dedicated medical team offer Propecia® and other methods to address your hair loss concerns.

We’re proud to serve communities in Orange County, including Irvine, and in Los Angeles County. 

Propecia, also known by the generic name finasteride, is a hair loss solution that has been around for a while, but there’s confusion over its effectiveness and other concerns, so we put these issues to rest by examining how hair grows, some essential facts about the drug, and what people tend to get wrong about it.

How hair growth works

Hair grows in phases: 

• Anagen (growing)
• Catagen (transition)
• Telogen (resting)
• Exogen (shedding)

These stages vary in overall time from person to person at different ages and on different parts of the body. 

The growing phase is the longest, and about 90% of the hairs on your head stay in it for years. After that, the hairs transition into a slowing of growth as your follicles shrink, then start to form new hairs and shed the old.

Several factors affect how well your hair grows, such as genetics, hormone levels, lifestyle, and how well you care for your hair. Everything from what you eat to how much stress you endure on a regular basis can affect your hair.

Propecia basics

This medication is part of a group of drugs called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and works to stimulate hair growth by reducing the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) you have. 

This is a male sex hormone that is responsible for lowering your voice, altering how you store fat, increasing muscle mass, and developing your genitals during puberty, but too much of it affects your hair growth. 

Taking Propecia lowers DHT levels, which not only stops hair loss, but leads to hair growing back.

Facts and myths

Here are some things people tend to get wrong about Propecia:

Myth: It doesn’t work quickly to restore hair

This drug starts working with regular doses, and while you won’t see instant results from the treatment, in three months you’ll definitely see the changes.

Myth: It isn’t FDA-approved

Propecia has been used as far back as 1992, but was approved for managing an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia) and was approved for hair growth in 1997 at a dose of one milligram.

Myth: You only need to take it temporarily

Once you start seeing results, you may be tempted to stop and enjoy the benefits, but if you stop taking it regularly, you could see the hair loss return in a year’s time. You should take this medication on a regular basis to maintain results.

Myth: Anyone can use Propecia

While women do suffer from specific types of hair loss, Propecia is designed to help men and can actually be dangerous for a woman’s health, especially if she's pregnant. Research is ongoing to determine if it can be made available to women.

Propecia is an effective choice for hair growth in men, and if you’re interested in seeing how well it works for you, make an appointment with us today at Meshkin Medical, serving Orange and Los Angeles counties from offices in Newport Beach and Glendale, California.