Advances in the Treatment of Male Androgenetic Alopecia: A Brief Review of Finasteride Studies
June 2001
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR Finasteride is effective in growing hair and stopping hair loss in men with mild to moderate alopecia.
The review from 2001 discussed the benefits of finasteride, a type 2 5a-reductase inhibitor, in treating male androgenetic alopecia. Clinical trials confirmed finasteride's effectiveness in males, but not in females. It was found to produce visible hair growth in up to 66% of men with mild to moderate alopecia and could stop hair loss in 91% of patients. Long-term studies showed that patients on placebo experienced significant and progressive hair loss, while those on finasteride maintained their hair growth. The drug's hair-preserving effect, along with its restorative effect, made it a strong choice for early cases of androgenetic alopecia before much hair had been lost.