Finasteride Before And After: Exploring The Incredible Results

Written by the UPGUYS Editorial Team

Published on June 23, 2022

If you suffer from male pattern baldness, you've probably already spent countless anxiety-inducing hours looking for treatments online and maybe thought of ordering finasteride or minoxidil.

The thing is, the hair loss market is full of expensive products that promise the world — but don't even work. Even FDA-approved products like Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) might seem too good to be true. 

We totally understand the skepticism or side effects finasteride or other medications may have. Today, we're going to show you exactly what finasteride is and what effects it has on the male scalp. 

Let's dive in.

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Table of contents:

What Is Finasteride, and How Does It Work?

You may have heard of finasteride by its more popular brand name Propecia. 

Finasteride is a medicine known as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. As the name suggests, it helps stop and reverse hair loss by stopping a specific enzyme from being formed. That enzyme is called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. 

DHT is an androgen (or a male hormone) that helps develop all of the male body's features, including his:

1. Bone structure
2. Muscles
3. Genitals
4. Voice
5. Hair

The problem is that DHT can also have adverse effects on men whose genetics are prone to male pattern baldness. It plays a key role in hair loss by shrinking the hair follicles. This causes the hair on your head to become very fine until it eventually stops hair growth from even happening.

Finasteride blocks the production of DHT in your body, which can slow or even reverse hair loss from male pattern baldness.

Read more: Finasteride vs. Dutasteride

How Long Does Finasteride Take To Work?

Although finasteride works by blocking DHT the second you start taking it, it can take anywhere from 3-6 months to start seeing its results. Most people see significant results after one year of consistently taking finasteride.

To understand why finasteride takes as long as it does to show improvement, it's important to understand the four-phase cycle of hair growth.

This cycle can last anywhere from 2 to 7 years for a normal person. Throughout this time, the hairs on your head grow from beneath the skin, regress, rest, and finally shed.

For men who suffer from male pattern hair loss, this cycle is much shorter, resulting in more frequent hair shedding.

Finasteride lowers the amount of DHT by almost 70%, which is more than enough to slow down hair loss. 

At first, it might appear that you're losing more hair at an even faster rate than before but don't worry. This actually means that the drug is working because finasteride makes your current hair fall out, even if it's in the middle of a cycle. It does this because it is preparing for newer, stronger hairs to grow from your hair follicles. 

Although finasteride may cost you a lot, after about 3 to 6 months, you will start noticing fewer hairs being shed on your pillow, sink, and car. But after a year, you should start seeing noticeable results from finasteride.

In this 1999 study, participants the study showed significantly improved hairline and hair growth after taking finasteride.

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What Can I Expect After Using Finasteride?

In most cases, finasteride will help slow hair loss and can even regrow hair.

Studies have shown that 83% of people using finasteride stop losing hair, and 66% of men experience hair regrowth. 

But it's important to note that not everyone is the same when it comes to hair growth. Because of this, it's not possible to give exact predictions on how your hair will be after a year.

Some men might experience very noticeable hair growth with fuller, thicker hair. Other men might only see modest improvements in their hairline. And still, others won't see any hair growth but will rather just see the prevention of more hair loss.

Read more: Finasteride Drug Interactions

Typically, men with only mild to moderate hair loss will see better improvement than those that are "too far" in the balding process.

Another important note is that you need to keep taking finasteride consistently to maintain hair growth. If you stop taking finasteride, you will most likely lose all progress in hair growth within a year.

If you miss a tablet, it won't affect the results, but if you regularly miss finasteride doses, it will affect the outcome of your hair growth.

Key Takeaways

Hopefully, seeing the finasteride before and after photos gives you more confidence in your decision.

Luckily for you, hundreds of studies have already been performed on the efficacy of finasteride and have shown that it is one of the most effective hair loss treatments on the market.

If you want to be one of the millions of men who are finding hope and happiness by getting their hair and youth back, check out our products to see if one of these hair loss medications is right for you. 

Read more: Finasteride Warnings & Precautions To Know