TLDR Finasteride helps hair growth in early male baldness, but more long-term research needed.
The authors of this document conducted a literature review to evaluate the effectiveness of finasteride (1 mg) in treating early male pattern baldness. They found that finasteride has a positive effect on hair growth, as demonstrated by a randomized controlled trial of 179 men who used finasteride for 24 weeks and showed significant improvement in hair count and dermatologist assessment compared to placebo. However, the authors note that there is a lack of independent, long-term studies on the drug's effectiveness and potential side effects, such as sexual dysfunction. While the current evidence supports the use of finasteride for early male pattern baldness, more high-quality, long-term studies are needed.
97 citations,
January 2014 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Dutasteride 0.5 mg works better than finasteride and placebo for increasing hair in men with hair loss.
66 citations,
June 2013 in “Journal of Dermatological Treatment” Finasteride and dutasteride effectively treat hair loss, but may cause side effects like sexual dysfunction and depression.
152 citations,
October 2010 in “Archives of Dermatology” Finasteride helps hair growth but may cause sexual side effects.
26 citations,
February 2002 in “Urologic clinics of North America” The document concludes that it's important to understand the placebo effect when evaluating the effectiveness of treatments in medical trials.
27 citations,
September 2017 in “Journal of Medicinal Food” Annurca apple supplement safely increases hair growth and keratin in humans.
53 citations,
February 2020 in “Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy” Finasteride and minoxidil work best together for hair loss.
1 citations,
January 2009 in “CRC Press eBooks” Finasteride increases hair count and improves hair growth with low risk of side effects.
100 citations,
April 2010 in “Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy” Hair loss in men treated best with early medication or transplant, new treatments researched.
54 citations,
May 2018 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” Low level laser therapy works best for hair loss, followed by PRP, finasteride, and minoxidil.
