Last Updated on August 14, 2017 by Robert Price
Should you try Propecia?
That’s totally your call, and I’m not going to try to convince you one way or another.
Honestly, unless hair loss is something that really bothers you, you should probably just let it go. Acceptance is the best course, if it’s viable for you.
But some guys just can’t bring themselves to embrace baldness — and if you’re one of those guys, this article is for you. I’ve done over 60 hours of research on finasteride, I’d estimate, and my goal is to provide you with a fact-based and unemotional analysis of the drug and its benefits, so you can ultimately draw your own conclusions on the subject. Let’s get started.
Here are the top 10 reasons you may want to consider using Propecia to treat your hair loss.
1. Treats Balding at the Source
Propecia targets the root cause of male pattern hair loss AKA androgenic alopecia, DHT — and it’s only treatment option that does that. All the other treatments will buy you time to varying degrees and maybe reinvigorate some of your thinning hair follicles, but they won’t treat the underlying cause of your balding.
2. Best First-Line of Attack Against Hair Loss
That’s according to the American Hair Loss association. There’s no other alternative with a comparable track record. It’s proven, and there’s a good chance it can help you hang to your hair for a very long time. A recent Italian Study found that 86% of patients benefited from the drug, and that its effectiveness did not significantly diminish over time (source).
3. Side effects are Overblown
This is controversial, but it really shouldn’t be. This is my opinion based on over 60 hours researching the drug, scrutinizing many of the ridiculously superfluous and horribly written studies on Propecia. I encourage you to do your own due diligence.
I’m not a fool or shill for the Merck, either. Do I believe that only approximately 2% of men get sexual side effects from Propecia, as the early studies indicated? Absolutely not! The number definitely appears to be higher than that. But the side effects are almost always reversible from what I’ve gathered.
The Nocebo effect is another reason men seem to be experiencing more side effects today, in 2017, compared to previous years.
Beware: YouTube in particular is a hotbed of anti-Propecia propaganda.
I’ve seen people in comment sections making absurd, totally unfounded claims. One guy seems to troll everyone who creates a semi-positive video on Propecia; he hits the comment sections and says that everyone who takes the drug will eventually get side effects, striving to scare the holy hell out of anyone considering using the drug.
I get it. And I feel for some of these guys experiencing side effects. However, my guess is that many of them had underlying health or mental issues before they started using Propecia — that’s just a guess, but an educated one. There are countless anti-Propecia videos on YouTube, some of which have thousands of hits, and these videos make it seem like everyone who takes the drug has horrendous, debilitating side effects, and that’s just not the case.
This concludes the side effects section, which will undoubtedly be the longest section in the article.
4. Regrowth is Possible
According to the American Adademy of Dermatology, Propecia promotes regrowth in about 66% of its users (source). So it’s not just for maintenance; Propecia could actually thicken your thinning hair, perhaps in a dramatic fashion if you’re lucky. The 10-year Italian study I cited earlier also found that, at the study’s conclusion, 48% of its participants saw improvements over time.
5. It’s Cheap
I’m talking about the generic finasteride, which is available for roughly 10 bucks per month in the US. There’s a good chance that will fit your budget. Brand-name Propecia is going to cost more, obviously, and will rang in price from approximately $40-$60 per month.
Photo Credit: CNN. Donald Trump is reportedly a long-time Propecia user. If you’re interested in learning more about Trump’s wild-and-crazy hair, check out my post that showcases the Top Six SHOCKING Facts About Donald Trump’s Hair.
6. Basically Hassle-Free
Compliance isn’t generally an issue with Propecia; you take a pill once per day, and that’s pretty easy for most people to do. Rogaine, on the other hand, is a treatment you have to rub into your scalp twice per day, which can be a pain. Granted, some people just apply minoxidil once daily and have decent results, but minoxidil is generally a much bigger hassle to use than Propecia. The same applies for a treatment like laser therapy, which is typically used at least 3-4 days per week in 20-30 minute intervals.
7. Hair Loss is Progressive
I know you’re thinking: hey, thanks, Captain Obvious for that insight! And you’re welcome!
But I do have a point here, I assure you, which is this: I think many people put off using Propecia because they wrongly assume the worst is over as far as their hair loss goes. Some guys get lucky and just recede to like a mild type 3 pattern on the Norwood scale, and never lose any hair after that. Most of us aren’t so fortunate. And if you don’t take proactive steps against this genetic condition, your hair loss will almost certainly get worse.
Younger men are especially susceptible to rapid, aggressive hair loss, and Propecia really works best on early, severe cases of male pattern baldness.
A scary stat – by the time you actually notice thinning in a particular area on your scalp, whether it’s your temples or crown, you’ve probably already lost about 50% of your hair there. So again, being proactive is essential if you don’t want to look like Dr. Phil!
8. Peace of Mind
By using Propecia, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing you’re hitting your hair loss as hard as you can, at the source. It’s a “kitchen sink” treatment. Natural remedies like Saw Palmetto and Pumpkin seed oil, minoxidil, laser therapy, etc. all may work to some extent, but Propecia is the proven, most effective option. If it doesn’t work for you, then you may still have options, you may not. But if you go bald, at least you tried to do something about it.
9. May Work on its Own
If you catch your hair loss early enough, Propecia may the only treatment you need. It’s really the only product on the market that can work without supplementary treatments.
10. Hair is Nice
This is another “Captain Obvious” moment, I realize. But Propecia will likely give you the best chance at saving your hair — and if you’ve made it this far, it’s safe to say hair is important to you. In this blog, I’ve made it clear that I wouldn’t try Propecia without exploring alternatives first. But if the alternatives failed, I’d probably give Propecia a shot, because unlike the Rock, Vin Diesel, and Jason Statham, I definitely would NOT look good bald.
I also feel like hair may give me a slight edge in my career and improve my dating prospects to some extent, while also boosting my self-esteem at the same time. I’d get over going bald, I’m sure, if the Propecia failed, but I value my hair and I’d want to take a shot at saving it, before simply accepting my genetic hand. Maybe you feel differently, and that’s fine.
Conclusion – Should You Try Propecia?
As always, that’s totally your call, and my intention was NOT to sway you one way or another in this article. I encourage you to read my full, in-depth Propecia review, which takes a close look at the drug, its side effects, and endeavors to answer the $64,000 question: Is Propecia worth the risk? As a blogger, I believe in balance. So next, you should check my 10 things I hate about Propecia post, so you can weigh Propecia’s downsides versus its potential benefits.
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.