Propecia and Finasteride - The Ultimate Hairloss Treatment?

In the modern world of hairloss treatments there are two products which stand head and shoulders above the rest - Rogaine and Propecia but they're two very different type of hairloss remedy - Rogaine is a topical treatment (you apply it to the skin) whereas Propecia is a pill which you take orally.

What Is Propecia?
Propecia is an oral treatment for hairloss that was discovered by accident during clinical trials. Propecia itself was originally called Finasteride and was designed to treat BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) or an enlarged prostate in older men. During the trials for this drug they noticed that men being treated with Finasteride either regrew hair in their balding areas or suffered no further hairloss.

The penny dropped and the company behind the trials (Merck) began to study the effects further. It seemed that Finasteride stopped DHT affecting the hair follicles in men who are genetically sensitive to hairloss. Not only that but it also seemed to cause regrowth of lost hair in a significant number of men during hair growth trials. The decision was made and in the last 90's Propecia was released in a 1mg tablet as a registered FDA approved treatment for male pattern hairloss.

What Does Propecia Cost?
The genuine Merck branded tablet costs about $200 per month. You can find the Fincar and Finpecia products sold by Cipla online but these versions of Propecia are not manufactured in the US and therefore do not have FDA approval. Be careful of buying check knock-off Propecia copies online - you can never be quite sure how much finasteride is actually in these pills; if any at all.

What Do Propecia Users Say About Their Results?
Propecia has produced some incredible results in some men using it. The best results seem to come from a combination of using both 5% Rogaine (at least) and 1MG of Propecia each day. There are numerous documented cases of men regrowing most, if not all, of their lost hair using these treatments. Bear in mind this is a lifetime expense - you have to keep using Propecia otherwise the hair you regrow will fall out after 12 months. The same applies for Rogaine.

Propecia Side Effects
Propecia has two main possible side effects. One is erectile dysfunction which basically means that you might have some difficulty in sexual performace on the short term (a few weeks at most). The other more worrying side effect is gynecomastia which means that your glands in your chest could swell and leave you suffering from a case of "man boobs". This could, in very rare cases, cause the actual growth of small breasts on an adult male. Obviously you should stop treatment if you notice any worrying side effects with any treatment; the same is true of Finasteride.

Finasteride and Pregnant Woman
No man should attempt to conceive a baby with a partner while he's taking Finasteride/Propecia or any treatment containing Finasteride without seeking professional medical advice first. Pregnant women should not even touch the dust or fragments from any treatment containing Finasteride - the smallest doses can cause major birth defects.

Is Propecia an effective treatment for hairloss in men? The answer is Yes. A one-two combination of 5% Rogaine and 1mg Propecia will give you the best possible results though.