Finasteride

There used to be a time when hair fall was considered to be completely untreatable. The very prospect of hair fall and baldness invoked a great deal of depression amongst all those suffering from it. As the technology advanced, the research work grew accurate and led to the new avenues towards discoveries and serendipity, various formulas for reducing or recovering from hair fall emerged. While some were simply fake, others proved to be quite efficient at dealing and solving the problem. Finasteride is one such discovery made by the scientists, though just by chance, which helps in reducing the hair fall amongst patients suffering from it, while also increasing the chances of re-growth of the hair amongst these patients. Let us now understand how this works.

Finasteride and its function in controlling hair fall

Sold in the market by the name of Proscar, Propecia, Finast, Prosteride etc, Finasteride is in origin and form, a synthetic anti-androgen. This means that it will act against all sorts of androgens. For all those uninitiated to the various types and causes of hair loss, let us explain them the whole scenario in detail.

What is it that results in hair loss amongst the majority of humans world wide? The answer may vary in scales, but have a unanimous response in case – Male Pattern Baldness (MPB). It is estimated that over 70% of the hair fall and baldness cases world wide are due to the male pattern baldness. Do not be mistaken by the name for male pattern baldness does not only ravage the scalps of males, but affects a number of females too. Without going into the complexities of this phenomenon, we’ll quickly explain how MPB occurs. When the free testosterone in the body of the males starts increasing in proportion, which may be due to any reason possible, an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase enzyme starts working on it. This leads to the conversion of this free testosterone into another derivative called as dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This DHT acts directly upon the follicles of the hair on the scalp by making them shrink in size. As the process continues, there comes a time when the follicle shrinks to such an extent that the hair is not able to grow any further out of it. This results in a permanent hair loss and eventually, baldness.

Now comes in the function of Finasteride. Finasteride works by inhibiting the production of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme. This results in the breakage of the conversion of free testosterone into DHT. At times, this effect leads to the reversal of the affect that DHT has had on the hair follicle. Thus, the hair follicle starts opening up again and the hair regrows.

How finasteride was found

Finasteride was initially used to treat the incidences of prostrate cancer and prostrate enlargement. In 1992, it was approved by FDA as a successful treatment for prostrate cancer and enlargement. As the medicine was used, doctors and scientists noticed a peculiar side effect that this new medicine was showing – it led to a re-growth of hair amongst men with Male pattern baldness syndrome. Thus, the research started again.

As new results and evidences came forward, by 1997 Finasteride was approved by FDA as a successful tool of treating the hair fall and baldness amongst men.

Who is it effective for?

After all the research scientists have concluded that finasteride is effective in men, but not quite so amongst the females. Females did not show any signs of improvement when administered with finasteride, while males showed dramatic results. It is strictly prohibited for use for treating hair loss in pregnant women and children too.

Side effects of Finesteride

While all is well with Finesteride, there are certain issues that need to be addressed in case you are thinking of using Finasteride in treating hair loss. Many people have reported certain side effects, which have been linked with this medicine.

• Use of Finasteride amongst pregnant women has shown that it might be a causative in causing birth defects amongst the foetus. More so, doctors even recommend that no family member use Finasteride in case of a pregnant lady in the family, for even a mild exposure to the medicine might be harmful for the lady. However, more research has been happening in this field, for no substantial results have been found yet.

• Consumption of Finasteride has also shown symptoms of depression amongst the takers.

• Finasteride has also been banned in the sports fraternity for the very reason that it can mask the intake of steroids amongst the athletes.

• Use of Finasteride also results in the increase of free testosterone in the body. This might lead to symptoms due to an unnaturally high presence of testosterone in the body.

• Apart from all this, a loss of libido or difficulty in erection might be seen as common side effects.