Finasteride for Hair Loss: A Realistic 12-Month Timeline
The hardest part of treating hair loss with finasteride is not swallowing a tablet once a day. It is waiting. Many people stop in the first few months because nothing seems to be happening, or because things seem to get worse before they get better. Knowing roughly what to expect, month by month, makes it much easier to give the medicine a fair trial. Everything below assumes finasteride 1 mg once a day, which is the licensed dose for male pattern hair loss, prescribed by a doctor who has confirmed that this is the type of hair loss you have. Months 1 to 3: quiet changes under the surface Finasteride works by lowering levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that gradually shrinks hair follicles in people who are genetically prone to male pattern baldness. DHT levels start to fall within days of the first tablet, but hair grows slowly, so you will not see that in the mirror yet. Some people notice extra hairs on the pillow or in the shower during this stage. This is often describ...