I agree - I remember reading that testosterone only goes up a modest amount, somewhere around 10-15%. This should not cuase any real extra damage to frontal hair - and even if it did, it should certainly be outweighed by the average 60% decrease in DHT.
Although, I am still losing density in the front - perhaps the testosterone that is there already is enough to harm that area. Vertex and crown are thickening enough so that I notice it (density there wasn't bad to begin with though).
I am wondering - since finasteride simply lowers DHT, that doesn't mean that hair shafts have to grow. Could it be that a higher percentage of our hairs could be moving into resting phase for longer and longer? finasteride would still be "working" to protect the shaft, but that wouldn't mean the shafts would have to produce hair. Could it be that minoxidil or some other growth stimulant would be needed to produce that effect? Just wondering.