How Propecia was developed

Humble beginnings

Propecia first hit the market as a drug intended for treatment of enlarged prostate glands in men, back in 1992. It was invented as a result of observations based on sexual development observed in children as they matured. In some boys, a significantly smaller prostate and absence of male pattern baldness was found upon reaching adulthood. Under further examination, hormonal compounds were then discovered that, when isolated, helped with prostate enlargement. It was later noted that patients undergoing treatment also showed improvement in their hair loss. These observations eventually led to the development of the first-ever successful treatment for male pattern baldness.

Propecia FDA approval

Although the FDA approved the drug initially in 1992, it was specifically designated for use in treating enlarged prostates. However, they officially endorsed its use for effectively treating hair loss a few years later, in 1997. Since then, propecia is far and away the most effective prescription drug treatment available for stopping the procession of male pattern baldness, and also hair loss due to other causes. Unfortunately, it is only used for male hair loss, and not for female.

Alternative Prescription Treatments

There are only a handful of other prescription treatment options for male pattern baldness. One of these, while showing signs of effectiveness in other countries, has not been yet approved for safe or effective use in the United States. Other treatment options that have been tried include a cream that is applied directly to the scalp. This was originally intended as treatment for psoriasis of the scalp. It has shown some improvement in cases of very mild hair loss, but has not been officially approved for use in treating baldness by the FDA. Another treatment sometimes prescribed comes in the form of cortisone shots. These are injected on a monthly basis, directly into the scalp. Cortisone pills are also sometimes used, but they are not always effective and can have various harmful side effects. While these treatments also show some signs of effectiveness, many doctors are not comfortable suggesting using cortisone in cases of long-term use.

Propecia vs. Over-the-Counters

Since hair loss affects so many people, and does not have very many choices for effective treatment, a variety of creams, pills, and powders have sprung up in an attempt to entice the buyer. Since none of these products has ever undergone systematic testing either for safety or effectiveness, their success rates is largely anecdotal, and not necessarily reliable. propecia is truly the best option for those seeking effective treatment for their hair loss.

How does baldness occur? Over time, hair goes through alternating growth and rest cycles. The cycle length varies for everyone, but typically the growing phase lasts a few months, and is then followed by a brief resting phase. The hair falls out when the resting phase is over, and a new hair comes in at the next growth cycle. This is a normal process, and the average person sheds dozens of hairs every day. In some people, however, the loss rate is faster than the regrowth rates, which results in areas of the scalp that have little or no hair.

Permanent causes of hair loss

• Pattern baldness is the most common form of hair loss, and can occur in both men and women. This form of hair loss is genetically related, as heredity affects what age you begin permanently losing hair and how quickly the loss progresses. Propecia is commonly used to effectively treat male pattern baldness.
• Another type of permanent hair loss occurs when damage or inflammation affects the hair follicle itself, preventing new growth. This can be related to certain skin conditions, or some autoimmune disorders.

Temporary causes of hair loss

• Certain autoimmune disorders, viruses, and even severe emotional or physical shock can also cause hair loss. In most cases, the hair usually grows back once the underlying issues are resolved. Propecia is designed to foster regrowth.
• Certain lifestyle elements, such as having poor nutrition, or excessive damage due to restrictive or damaging hairstyling, can also accelerate hair loss and slow regrowth.
• Some medications can cause hair loss, as well as medical treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy.
• Physical conditions such as hormone fluctuations or systemic diseases like diabetes or lupus can also cause hair loss. There is also a psychological condition which manifests as obsessive plucking of hairs which results in bald patches on the scalp or elsewhere on the body.

Seeking Help For those suffering from hair loss as a result of one of the temporary indications listed above, there is comfort in knowing that very often, the hair will come back in on its own once the underlying issues are resolved. In cases of both temporary and permanent hair loss, Propecia can be used to slow down the damage even after it’s already begun, and promote new hair regrowth.

When you are young, it’s easy to walk around as if nothing can ever go wrong in your life. Although you had acne for a few months as a teen, you got through that. Now the rest of your life is going to be smooth sailing. So what if there are a few extra hairs in your comb or caught in the drain after you finish your shower. This is nothing to worry about. Except the sad reality is that anyone, no matter what their age or gender, can lose their hair. It can be heredity, caused by some underlying medical condition, a side effect of a drug you are taking. The list goes on. Unless you are taking preventative measures to reduce the risk of hair loss, you need guidance on when to seek a formal diagnosis. Too early and you wasted your money because your doctor could find nothing wrong. Too late and there’s little chance of any treatment helping the hair to regrow. For the record, male pattern baldness can begin during your teens and this is permanent hair loss. Why permanent? Because the growth cycle shortens and every time you shed your hair, it grows back thinner and more likely to fall out. As this speeds up, your hair stops regrowing and there’s no cure.

This is what to think about. At some point, you will notice more hair than usual is falling out. Make a note of the date. If possible, get someone in the family or a friend to take pictures of your head so you can monitor any changes to the shape of the hair. Then watch what happens. Is the loss only occasional or is it continuous? If you have good days and bad days, think about what you eat and what you did. Is there a cause and effect at work? In particular, look for anything that might make the loss worse. Now look around the family. If you are cut off from most of your relatives, ask if there is any history of hair loss on either side of the family.

This gives you enough information about the emerging physical pattern and the rate of loss to share with your doctor. There will be a physical examination of your scalp to judge the appearance of your hair, e.g. whether any hairs are broken off. There is usually a pull test to see how many come out, and skin samples taken to eliminate the possibility of an infection. There will also be a review of your medical history and general wellness to identify any underlying problems such as thyroid disease that may be causing the loss. If this is simple male pattern baldness, the standard treatment is generic propecia. This is taken once-daily and, over time, slows loss and encourages some regrowth. The benefits are lost and hair loss will resume if you stop taking propecia. Some commitment to continuing treatment is necessary. More generally, there are preventative measures in changing the way you handle your hair and modifying your diet. Your doctor or dermatologist will advise on how to minimize the effects of hair loss.

For reasons no-one has ever been able to explain, the rest of the world plays football, but not as we know it. So we don’t get confused, we simply desided to call this game “soccer”. As an interesting aside, no American men are very good at the game and the US team usually gets knocked out of international competitions early. But the US Women’s Team is ranked number 1 in the world. So men play the real football and only women play soccer. Anyway, in England, they have this star player. He’s called Wayne Rooney – no relation to the old movie star – and he plays up front and generally kicks the ball or hits it with his head. It seems the ball usually goes where he wants it to which makes him something of a hero. The point of all this is that he has hair coming out of his chest like a rug. The beard is spectacular and his head is bald.

These world soccer types count the number of goals scored by each player, recording whether they last make contact with the ball with their foot, their head or some other part of the body other than the hand. Only Argentinean and French players like Maradona and Thierry Henry are allowed to swat the ball into the net with their hands – it’s a special World Cup Rule brought in to allow the rest of the world to score goals against the British and Irish who are lumped together for these sporting purposes. Sorry, back to Rooney. Since he started losing his hair, he has become a prolific scorer of goals using his head. This sudden improvement in his scoring ability is due to the absence of hair. As in pool, a real US game, combination shots work because both balls are hairless. So with Rooney, his bald head makes a good clean contact with the ball. There’s no grease or dandruff to knock the ball off its trajectory. He has turned his baldness into an asset. He is now proud to be photographed, pausing only to wipe away the marks left by the ball.

In this, it has to be admitted Rooney is probably making a virtue out of necessity. Using your head is a vital part of the game and it would be rather obvious if any player was wearing a wig. In PR terms, it’s rather like someone carrying too much body weight saying they have big bones. Rooney’s, “I score more goals now I have lost my hair. . .” Well, that’s doubtful – a mere quirk of the statistics that’s likely to disappear as the years pass by. What is equally interesting is this young man’s decision not to buy propecia. Here he is, a star of the game of soccer and earning quite large sums of money. He has people who groom him and offer advice. We wonder why he never tried to prevent the baldness. It must have been tempting. There are no drug rules that would lead to him being banned. Propecia has an excellent record and almost all men with male pattern baldness who begin treatment early enough find the hair loss stops and often regrows. It’s refreshing to find a young man who literally seems not to care. He’s bald now and feels good about it. For everyone else, there’s propecia.

One of the most commonly suggested causes of hair loss in both men and women is a genetic defect. The fact it may be inherited means it is not your fault when your hair thins and falls out and, perhaps more importantly, the condition is not necessarily something that can be cured. Of course, there is some evidence that hair loss does run in families, but there is more evidence that our lifestyles and medical decisions can be even more important factors in deciding who loses hair and how quickly. We will ignore the cultural effect of changing hairstyles where too much traction in pulling the hair back into a ponytail or comparable style may accelerate hair loss, the effect of a general anesthetic for surgery (curiously, many who undergo gastric bypass surgery often lose the most hair), increased levels of anxiety and stress, and both chemo- and radiotherapy for cancer. The most consistent cause surrounds the level of different hormones in the body.

In women, for example, the level of estrogen drops during and after pregnancy, and during the menopause. This has been directly linked to both the thinning of hair and its loss from the scalp. Some women also lose hair as a reaction to particular oral contraceptives. For obvious reasons, the level of hormones naturally occurring in the male body tends to be more stable. But, in both genders, thyroid problems can affect the production of hormones and produce early baldness in men. Similarly, for a number of reasons, the levels of the hormones may be affected artificially. The most consistent causes stem from the use of steroids which are commonly used for a variety of strictly medical, e.g. to control asthma, and other purposes, e.g. as supplements to promote growth and for strength while weight training. As an adverse side effect, many weight loss products affect the thyroid and hair suffers. Finally, it is not just athletes who discover some diet and other supplements affect the level of testosterone in their bodies. Many who take “natural” dietary and nutritional supplements find out the hard way that some “natural” chemicals affect hair growth and retention.

This should give you pause for thought. Because there are many possible causes of hair loss, you should not guess what is affecting you and self-medicate. The research evidence shows the majority of people are completely unaware that their own lifestyles or the drugs prescribed to them by physicians may be responsible. Always get a formal diagnosis from your regular healthcare professional. If he or she confirms your hair loss is an adverse side effect of drugs or supplements you are using, the remedies will be clear. But, if male pattern baldness is confirmed, propecia is the tried and tested response (albeit not for Olympic athletes like Zach Lund who were banned from competition if they took this drug). Because this drug was developed some time ago, you will now find both the branded and generic propecia (also called finasteride) freely available from most of the online pharmacies. This will save you some serious money while enabling you to both slow hair loss and often encourage some regrowth. However, two small facts should be borne in mind. Propecia works best when it is taken early in the cycle of hair loss. Secondly, hair loss restarts once you stop taking the drug.