Hair Care and Trichology | Health Articles | Propecia hair fall treatment

Propecia is not for everyone. It has been particularly designed to treat hair fall, predominantly male pattern baldness, in men. Not a recommended treatment for women and children, men suffering from male pattern hair loss must undergo a proper consultation with a medical doctor to obtain a valid prescription for Propecia.

About Propecia

Propecia finasteride is prescribed to men who suffer from male pattern baldness, which is also known as androgenetic alopecia. Finasteride, the active ingredient in Propecia, works by lowering the dihydrotestosterone or DHT levels in the scalp. Although an important sex hormone, DHT weakens the hair follicles in the scalp, eventually leading to hair fall.

Comes in the strength of

Propecia is a single strength pill; 1mg tablet is meant for oral administration and is the recommended daily dosage. These tablets are film-coated and contain 1mg of finasteride. Propecia can be taken with or without meals. Coated Propecia tablets help prevent contact with the active ingredient finasteride during normal handling, provided that the tablets are not broken or crushed.

Three months of regular use of Propecia is required before any benefit can be observed. Continuous use is recommended to sustain hair re-growth. Withdrawal of treatment will lead to loss of re-grown hair within 12 months.

Ingredients in Propecia

Finasteride is the active ingredient in Propecia. It works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, helping reduce the natural body hormone (DHT) levels in your body. This prevents the withering of hair follicles and as a result normal hair growth becomes possible. However, finasteride does not affect hair growth on other parts of the body.

Propecia 1mg tablets also contain the following inactive ingredients: Lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinised starch, sodium starch glycolate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose LF, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, talc, docusate sodium, yellow ferric oxide, and red ferric oxide.

What result should I expected after taking Propecia?

Finasteride, the main ingredient in Propecia, is a specific inhibitor of Type II 5a-reductase, an intracellular enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT. Two distinct isozymes, Type I and II, are differently expressed in tissues. While, the Type I 5a-reductase is predominant in the sebaceous glands including the scalp and liver and is responsible for approximately one-third of the circulating DHT, the Type II 5a-reductase is primarily found in the prostate, seminal vesicles, epididymitis, hair follicles and the liver and is responsible for two-thirds of the circulating DHT.

The finasteride mechanism of action is primarily based on its preferential inhibition of the Type II 5a-reductase. Finasteride inhibits and reduces the levels of DHT in the scalp. The working of finasteride is slow and therefore the hair re-growth is also slow. As a result, Propecia produces a rapid reduction in DHT concentration levels and has about 65% suppression rate within 24 hours of taking the 1mg oral dosage of Propecia finasteride.
In men suffering from androgenetic alopecia, the balding scalp contains miniaturized hair follicles and increased amounts of DHT as compared to a hairy scalp. Use of Propecia successfully reduces scalp and serum DHT concentrations in these men. By this mechanism of action, finasteride interrupts a key factor in the progress of androgenetic alopecia in those patients who are genetically predisposed to this problem