Finasteride for hair, how it works, and how real the side effects
The fate of the restoring product finasteride is similar to the history of minoxidil. Scientists discovered an effective restoring property of both drugs accidentally, like a pleasant side effect. According to the doctors original intent, finasteride was intended only for the cure for prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In the process of the drug regimen, the hair loss suddenly ended in the most of the patients-volunteers, even began to appear new downy hair.
How does the beneficial effect of finasteride appear for us?
When you rub lotions, solutions that contain this drug, as well as in the case of participation in the process of azelaic acid, the formation of dihydrotestosterone is stopped. But there are some differences between inhibitors at the molecular level. Finasteride is similar to testosterone in its structure. The result – 5-alpha-reductase, metaphorically speaking, is confused and connect with the wrong molecule. The way of transformation testosterone to DHT is ended.
Finasteride for women: dangerous or acceptable?
The ban on the using of the drug for women is relative. A strict contraindication is connected with pregnancy: there is a risk for the appearing disorders in the development of boy’s genitals. Also, you should refrain from such treatment if you try to conceive or don’t use protection. If all of these conditions are absent, finasteride is useful for women. Of course, if trichologist or other personal doctor don’t ban this drug.
Researches of the XXI century showed that after finish treatment the state of the hair was noticeably improved in 62% of women and stabilized in 35% of women. The drug wasn’t working for others. Women aged 19-50 years took part in this testing. There weren’t any side effects.
The mistakes about the dangers of using finasteride for hair are connected with a well-known fact: the drug was officially approved by the FDA in the 90s for the treatment of male alopecia. But at that time explored the possibilities only Propecia tablets, so restrictions were set. According to the doctors, solutions or lotions with minoxidil and finasteride are the most effective for the baldness treatment. Moreover, the standard concentration of the latter is only 0.1% (in some other drugs even less).
Side effects for men: fiction or reality?
The scary stories about the side effects for men have flooded the Internet and hide the real opportunity to get rid of baldness. Frighten the most terrible: loss of libido, impotence, decrease in the volume of ejaculate. They refer to the data of international clinical studies. For some reasons they omit that:
- the data refer to the 90s of the XX century;
- the information refers to the Propecia tablets, but it doesn’t refer to the lotions with finasteride;
all these unpleasant for every men symptoms had not only volunteers who took finasteride, but also participants, who took drugs without any medicinal , properties (placebo).
The famous manufacture Dualgen and Essengen gives such data: during the test that was controlled by doctors only 1% of patients had sexual function disorders. People who took finasteride and placebo had it:
- loss of libido had 1,8% and 1,3% respectively;
- erectile dysfunction had 1.3 and 0.7 %;
- decrease in the volume of ejaculate had 1.2 and 0.7 %.
As you can see, numbers are almost similar. That’s why you should have a cautious attitude to the negative reviews of men about finasteride. All of these frightening symptoms could appear because of autosuggestion even if the patient took drugs without medicinal properties.