Here’s another recent hair loss question from a reader:
“Hello, I am sure that this has been covered many times, but I am trying to decide if Minoxidil or Propecia would be better for me. I am Norwood II moving into II A so it is thinning on the temples. I have purchased the Kirkland Minoxidil liquid from Amazon but I am thinking Propecia might be the better bet. I am not sure hence my question to you. Thank you.”
My Response
Propecia is definitely more effective than minoxidil, by a significant margin. The question is whether or not Propecia is worth the risk. For an early Norwood 2A, receding hairline, I’d be inclined to say no, it isn’t worth the risk, assuming you don’t have diffuse thinning pointing toward a higher class on the Norwood scale. I’d suggest getting checked out by a doctor.
Without a family history, pictures, your age, etc., it’s hard to offer personalized advice. But if you’re just dealing with a mild/slow-moving receding hairline, I’d say you’re probably best off staying away from fin. Laser therapy, minoxidil, along with maybe pumpkin seed oil and a ketoconazole shampoo — those are probably your best bets. Once the loss is stabilized you can look into a hair transplant if desired. Keep in mind I’m no doctor and this isn’t medical advice. Cheers.
His Reply
Thanks, Robert.
I am 40. My dad and grandpa had hair but my moms dad went bald.
Here is a pic [Indeed a Norwood 2A or an early Norwood 3]. I do have to schedule an appt with a doctor.
My Final Email
Yeah, see the doctor if you can, always a good idea. Your hair loss is still pretty minor. If the grandpa who went bald started the process early — as many bald men do — then there’s a pretty high likelihood that you didn’t get hit with the “gene” so to speak, the full, Norwood 6 or 7 gene that is.
I wouldn’t take Propecia if I were you, unless you have thinning that points toward an advanced balding pattern, which I doubt — only way to know for sure is to see a doctor.
The benefit of taking Propecia is that’s it’s probably the cheapest way to get the most favorable results the quickest. So it could fill in your hairline corners a bit, which Minoxidil may or may not do and just thicken up your hair slightly overall. I don’t think Propecia’s worth the risk for mild hair loss personally and think you’re better off sticking to minoxidil, laser therapy perhaps, etc.
A hair transplant is always an option too, but that’s obviously expensive. Again, not a doctor.
Robert Price is a writer, consumer advocate, and hair loss researcher with thousands of hours of experience in the field. His goal is to keep you out of the hair loss rabbit hole, underworld, or whatever you want to call it. He founded Hair Loss Daily, the unbiased hair loss blog, in 2016. You can learn more about Robert in the my story section of this website.