Finasteride Results: How Does Finasteride Work Month By Month?

Written by the UPGUYS Editorial Team

Published on June 08, 2022

If you've ever had that heart-dropping moment when you look in your sink to see clumps of hair falling out, it can feel like the world is coming to an end — and it doesn't stop there.

You start getting paranoid, looking for signs of hair loss everywhere: on your pillow, on your desk, on your dog, etc. Thankfully, there's a Health Canada-approved medication named finasteride you can order in Canada for hair loss. But does it actually work?

Today, we're going to look into finasteride results month by month. You'll learn everything you need to know about finasteride and its effectiveness. Let's dive in.

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Table of contents:

What Is Finasteride, and How Does It Work?

Finasteride, also known by its popular brand name Propecia, is a popular hair loss medication that you can get prescribed by a doctor. There are also other FDA-approved hair loss medications on the market, like Rogaine (minoxidil). 

Finasteride falls in a medicinal class known as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. It slows and reverses hair loss by preventing testosterone from turning into a different hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). 

DHT is a male hormone called androgen — something that helps develop the male body's features, including your muscles, your bone structure, your genitals, your voice, and of course, your hair. 

However, if your genetics are prone to male pattern baldness, DHT also plays a role in damaging the hair follicles on your head. It does this by shrinking your hair follicles, causing very fine hair, and eventually stopping hair growth altogether. 

Finasteride works by lowering the level of DHT in your body, which helps prevent hair loss from getting worse.

Read more: Finasteride Vs Dutasteride

When Can I Expect Finasteride Results?

Finasteride will start working the second you begin taking it, but it will take a while to notice the results. Most people will first start seeing results in around 3 to 4 months of consistent use.

The first signs you may notice are new hairs growing from hair follicles that had stopped growing hair before. You may also start to notice your hair getting thicker. 

Another good sign after taking finasteride is that you won't shed hair as much. If you experience male pattern baldness, one symptom is the hair follicles spend less time in the resting phase, causing you to shed hair more frequently. 

Finasteride helps by allowing the hair follicles to stay in the resting phase longer before shedding. 

Although you may start seeing results within a few months, both finasteride dosages can take up to a year to see "final" results, and many continue to see even better results after a year. 

Read more: A Guide to Finasteride Side Effects

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Finasteride Results Timeline

The hairs on your head and body go through a four-phase cycle that can last for years. Over the period of this cycle, hair grows, regresses, rests, and finally sheds.

However, this cycle is much shorter for people who experience male pattern hair loss. Finasteride combats this by entering your bloodstream to reduce the levels of DHT in your body.

The results aren't immediate, though. Let's take a look at the effects of finasteride month by month so you can see if it is right for you.

Check out these finasteride results timeline pictures to get a clearer idea of what's happening.

1 Month Finasteride Results: The Beginning

As soon as you digest that pill, it will begin lowering the amount of DHT in your blood. Typically, finasteride lowers the amount of DHT by around 70%, which is enough to slow down hair loss. So what are the finasteride one-month results?

Although it's hard at work in your body, you probably won't notice anything different with your hair. That doesn't mean it isn't working. Remember, the entire hair growth phase for a typical person is over a year, and a large part of that hair growth happens beneath the skin. 

While finasteride is getting to work, make sure you're doing everything you can to take care of your scalp health. Even if you don't see results, make sure to keep taking finasteride consistently. This process is a marathon, not a sprint! 

Read more: The Finasteride Cost In Canada

3 Month Finasteride Results: Visible Change

The earliest results that you might begin to see happen after around 3 to 6 months of taking finasteride.

This is when you may begin to notice that you aren't losing as many hairs as you were before, particularly on your pillow or in your sink. You might even begin seeing some improvement in your affected areas, such as your scalp or hairline.

In this study, researchers found that subjects taking finasteride showed "significant improvement" after three months. If you don't start noticing anything after three months, you'll probably start to notice finasteride results after six months — but that's just the beginning.

1 Year Finasteride Results: Noticeable Hair Growth

After a year, you'll start to see noticeable finasteride hairline results. Most people see a higher hair count as well as an improvement in thickness.

In this 1999 study, men who used finasteride (Propecia) significantly improved the hair on their hairline. 

Of course, not everyone is the same when it comes to hair growth, so it's impossible to give exact predictions of how your hair will grow after a year. Some people might have hair growth that is easier to notice, while others may only see very modest improvements in hair thickness.

Read more: Finasteride Over the Counter

For others, you may not even see a huge improvement in growth, but rather just prevention of further hair loss from happening. Typically, those with only mild to moderate hair loss will see more results than someone with severe male pattern baldness. Remember, there isn't just anyone "final" finasteride result. You need to keep consistently taking it to maintain whatever improvements you get.

If you don't see the improvements you want after a year, make sure to talk to a doctor to see if there's anything else you can do to help your male pattern baldness.

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Key Takeaways

Although it might take a while, seeing finasteride results for your hair can be an amazing feeling for any man who wants to keep his hair. It can be the ultimate confidence booster knowing that your hair is finally moving in the right direction — no matter how slowly.