Is it worth taking finasteride (Propecia) to prevent future hair loss?

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hello Doctors! I’m not sure if this is an appropriate question to post here, but I really trust your medical advice in general, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I’m currently 25 years old, my hair is completely fine, no signs of loss. However, hair loss is very common in my family, some of us are completely bald and my dad has about half of the hair he had when he was young and he started losing it when he was my age or so. He says if there’s something he would have done differently when he was younger, it would have been taking finasteride to prevent future hair loss.

My question is: If I have no signs of hair loss, would you recommend I start taking it in order to prevent future hair loss?

Thanks in advance for any response, I really appreciate your work.

2

You can talk to your doctor about it, as there is some evidence that it can reduce hair loss in those with androgenic alopecia. I’m not sure on the time line for starting it for maximum benefit and I think it’s probably worth consulting an expert on it. That said, I don’t expect it to prevent all hair loss you may experience either.

3

Some hair restoration clinics can prescribe shampoo with finasteride (the hope I guess being that you get a more localized effect, though I don’t think it’s well studied as far as I could find). It’s worth consulting with a clinic (but I’d run any recommendation by my doctor as well).