Follicular Unit Hair Transplant

At present Finasteride 1 mg is considered 1st line therapy and is the only FDA approved oral medicine for androgenic alopecia, the common male pattern baldness. As a hair transplant surgeon I prescribe it to some of my patients who have sufficient amount of hair in balding zone and who do not want another session in near future. In some of these patients, I have seen strong resistance and bias against Finasteride. This bias, mostly generated through internet 'research', is sometimes so strong that it persists even after thorough counselling. Since it is impossible to give details to every individual in person, I am writing this post. What is Finasteride? Finasteride is an enzyme blocker used for Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy in high doses(5mg) and for male pattern baldness in low dosage form (1mg). How does it work? Finasteride inhibits type II 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is responsible for the p...