Last Updated on April 6, 2017 by Robert Price
Hypothetically speaking, if I started going bald early, would I try Propecia? The answer: Only as a last resort would I consider it.
Look, Propecia may well be the most effective weapon against early-onset male pattern baldness — hell, I’m fairly certain that’s true. But I’d seek alternatives first, personally, like minoxidil, PRP, and laser therapy. I might have to save up a little money to try the latter two treatments there — PRP and laser therapy — but that’d be okay.
I’m not a doctor, and if you’re looking for medical advice, please see a professional!
That disclaimer aside, if I tried a few of the alternatives with no success, then yeah, I’d look into Propecia. That’s me, again. The risk of sexual side effects is relatively low — 2-4% according to most of the studies, but many people, including me, are skeptical of that 2-4% claim. If you get side effects, they’ll go away within a few weeks as long as you stop treatment — for almost everyone. Therein lies the risk. And it’s a small one, but the consequences can be dire: a broken member, I wouldn’t like that one bit.
I also don’t like the idea of blocking DHT at such a young age — actually, that’s one of the ten things I hate most about Propecia.
If you’re still in your teens, then DHT just recently helped provide you with your large, man penis, chest hair, descended balls, and deep voice. Those are all pretty awesome, right? And they were all partially brought to you by DHT. So, most likely, is your impending baldness, unfortunately.
DHT offers few benefits to adults, and Propecia converts it to its superior, more stable, second-cousin hormone, testosterone. That’s a good thing, according to many of the experts. So yeah, call me skeptical again. DHT is fundamentally a developmental hormone, but it may yield benefits after puberty as well, even if those benefits aren’t fully understood at this time.
Another reason I wouldn’t look to Propecia as my first hair loss treatment option is that better, safer treatments could be on the horizon. A long-overdue, albeit expensive cure is possible, too. I believe a breakthrough is coming, sooner than you may think. PRP, stem cells, and hair cloning all show tremendous potential as first-line hair loss treatments of the future. However, unfortunately, you could very easily be bald by the time the next breakthrough emerges!
Bottom line: If you’re in your teens or early 20s and you’re losing your hair fast and you want it to stop, you have a major decision to make. This is just a guess, but an educated one: it’s likely that if you do visit a hair loss specialist, they’ll recommend Propecia to you. To take it or not, the choice is yours and yours alone. You’ll probably be fine if you take it. If you’re not, you can probably hop off it without any long-term effects. But there’s also a very small chance you’ll get unlucky, very unlucky, and have long-term sexual side effects. That’s the honest truth.
Early Intervention is the Goal
Keep in mind that by the time you notice hair thinning in a particular area, you’ve already lost about half your hair there. So if you’re like me and you want to keep your hair into your 30s or beyond, you should try to get your hair loss under control quickly, if possible, which is going to be a more difficult task without Propecia, unfortunately.
Hair loss can be particularly aggressive in young men. So I’d seek treatment early on, personally. A PRP session may be the ticket, as it can help you get thicker, longer, and healthier hair and temporarily stop the loss. If you have trepidation about trying Propecia, it may buy you some time. No, the effects aren’t permanent and can last anywhere from a few months to a few years, depending on the treatment. That’s a drawback. PRP treatments are also relatively expensive, costing anywhere from $400 to $6,000, approximately, depending on the type of therapy administered and the severity of hair loss. You can learn more about PRP here.
Laser therapy and minoxidil are also options, as I mentioned earlier. Minoxidil in particular is cheap, relatively — so I were on a budget, that’d be the first one I’d try. But Propecia is the only treatment that will address the likely cause of your hair loss, DHT. What can I say, it’s a tough call! If you have any thoughts or questions about using Propecia as younger dude, leave a comment below.
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.
You already know my answer to that question. Back in my 20s I would have been desperately seeking for something, anything, that would jump start and accelerate male pattern baldness. Back then there was nothing. Nothing to prevent baldness and nothing to promote it. I was on my own. All I could do is pray to the Good Lord hoping He would make me bald. As you already know, He heard my prayers and three decades later He granted my wish.
If a surefire cure for baldness were to come along, I would absolutely refuse to take the cure, even if it was guaranteed 100% effective. I don’t ever want my hair back.