Does finasteride work for a receding hairline?

Have you noticed your hairline starting to creep back? Is wearing a hat becoming the norm?

While you might be spending an unusually long time in front of the mirror considering your options, the fact of the matter is you do have some options you might not yet have considered.

Have you thought about a hair loss treatment? Yes, there’s plenty of phoney BS-backed hair loss treatments out there, but there are some that do actually work.

Finasteride, also sold under the brand name Propecia, is that exception. It’s scientifically proven to work and to stop hair loss. For lots of men, it can even help regrow the lost hair. But, can it help regrow your receding hairline? Let’s take a look.

What causes a receding hairline?

A range of things can make your hair fall out. Stress, illnesses, medications, even a bad diet. These tend to make your hair fall out in clumps or all over your head. However, if your hairline is receding it’s likely you have male pattern baldness (MPB).

This is the most common cause of hair loss in men. It’s called pattern baldness, as the hair is lost in a specific pattern. Your hair usually thins and recedes first along your hairline and on your crown. MPB is caused by a mix of ageing, genetics and hormones. The main hormone involved is called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT causes your follicles to shrink over time, meaning the hairs they produce get progressively shorter and finer. Eventually the follicle closes up and produces no hair at all. This is why your hair thins before you get bald patches.

How does finasteride work for male pattern baldness?

Finasteride is an MPB treatment. It comes in pill form and it works by blocking the production of an enzyme called 5α-Reductase that converts testosterone into DHT. Finasteride lowers the amount of DHT you have in your scalp, slowing the shrinkage of your hair follicles and in some cases allowing them to produce thicker and longer hairs again. Basically, it helps you fight your hair loss and sometimes return lost hair.

The information that comes with finasteride and most of the research that’s been done focuses on how it helps with hair loss on your crown (vertex baldness). What about a receding hairline?

Will finasteride regrow my hairline?

MPB causes you to lose hair on your crown and along your hairline first because these follicles are more sensitive to DHT than the follicles elsewhere on your head.

What you need to know about finasteride is that it works just as well on all the follicles on your head. This means that it should be just as effective for most men at treating a receding hairline as it is at treating hair loss on your scalp. Nice one!

This has also been proven with scientific research. A year-long study looking at the effects of finasteride on receding hairlines found it significantly increased the density of hair along the hairline in most of the men involved in the research.

Does finasteride work on temples?

Scientific research and a huge amount of anecdotal evidence show that finasteride can help with your temples and hairline. It can slow or stop any further hair loss and for some men it can even help regrow lost hair.

What other treatments can restore my hairline?

Other hair loss treatments include hair transplants, although these are usually more suitable for when you have larger areas of hair loss, not just a receding hairline. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) also shows promise for treating hair loss.

Try finasteride

If you’re interested in trying finasteride you can order it directly Now Patient. Finasteride is a prescription medication, but we can offer you an online consultation with one of our doctors who can issue you with a prescription if they feel finasteride is right for you.

Sources

• Finasteride in the treatment of men with frontal male pattern hair loss – PubMed