Hey Dave

I read your article about taking propecia which was written in ‘98 and I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. First off, I couldn't find any more recent articles saying whether you were still on it or not. That would be my first question--if you have continued to use it since '98, have the effects continued to be positive? I've read some long-term studies on finasteride, which seem to suggest positive results, but have never had the opportunity to ask someone who has actually been on it this long. I myself am growing my hair out and have semi-long hair right now; about 6-7 inches. I have a hairline which is starting to recede, or rather has been slowly doing so for a long time. I'm only 22 right now, and first noticed temporal recession at 18. It's not too bad yet, but my hair overall has started to thin in the past couple years which has got me worried. Basically, I know full well that if left unchecked I will go bald and relatively early in life too. I've been on finasteride for 4 months now, and as far as I can tell it's having positive effects. I think my hair has started to thicken up a little bit, but if I can just maintain what I have now I'll be happy and in good shape. Genetics wise my father is completely bald as was most of his male family members, while on my mother's side all the men kept their hair, or at least most of it, until death. I was hoping for momma’s genes but it looks like my brother, not me, is the one who lucked out there. But I have found out in my research that the genetics of hair loss are extremely complicated and are attributed to many factors, most of which are not even known yet. So unfortunately you can’t just look at your mom’s side of the family when it comes to hair loss. Bummer.

There doesn't seem to be much information on whether the body builds up a resistance to finasteride after prolonged usage. It would also be hard to tell whether it is a resistance to propecia or just the progression of male pattern baldness in terms of waning results in the long run. Have you noticed any lessened effects over time or has propecia continued to be as effective as when you first started? The 5 year propecia test results suggest that the majority of men will in fact retain their hair counts for this long, but it's obvious that this isn't the case for everyone. I hope that it is the case for us. I’ve always loved long hair and would like to have the ability to have it forever. Some guys are really lucky, and some, like me, are not so lucky. But if there is a good chance I can keep what I have, I’ll give it a shot.

If there is any other information you would like to offer me I would be very happy to read it. I've done a lot of research on this topic and have read many user experiences both positive and negative, but I’d be very interested to hear what your experience with propecia has been if you are still using it. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Thank you very much Mr. Decker, I appreciate the reply.

Hi Crayola & Dave,

A good friend of mine was balding quickly (he had the rear bald spot going) when I met him 6 years ago. His hair was fine/thin. I convinced him to try Propecia and although it did not grow his hair back, it did halt further loss. He has measure his bald spot and while it did not get larger, it did get a little fuller. He also started using Phytovolume Mousse shampoo and Phytovolume shampoo and that helped plump up his strands signficiantly.

He thought after a few years that he would stop taking the Propecia. So he stopped for about 6 months and his hair starting shedding again and his bald spot increased in size. He went back to Propecia and the sheeding stopped.

So Propecia does work for a lot of people. There is some question about the fertility aspect of propecia so that is why there is now a separate formula for women.

A lot of people who have temporary loss like from Chemo or hormones dow better on things like Viviscal or hair vitamins. For long term male hair thinning, propecia is an very good product, as Dave has also explained.

Best wishes & Happy New Year to all.

Karen