Gradual diffuse thinning on top, hairline still intact, is finasteride a good call??

[TinTon]

Hi there,

I'm just going 34 years old, for the past 6 years I have been very gradually 'diffuse thinning' on top of my head (i.e. not huge shedding or anything like that), the thinning is more so at the crown but includes all the hair on the top of my head essentially. My back and sides are full thickness and my hairline is still intact. It's my assumption from reading up on it, that this type of male pattern hair loss is referred to as DPA (Diffuse Pattern Alopecia).

I spoke to my doctor who was very vague and generally not overly knowledgeable on finasteride. He initially suggested a topical like minoxidil but then immediately back-tracked on that; saying that you would need to apply it all over the top of your head which could be frustrating regime in the long-run.

I know pics are better than the above description, however based on the above, does this kind of hair loss (i.e. Diffuse Pattern Alopecia) usually respond well to treatment with finasteride/propecia? as I've heard varying opinions on how effective Finasteride may or may not be for this kind of male pattern hair loss.

Many thanks

 

[Agustin Araujo]

Just get started on Finasteride by taking 1-1.25 mg daily and don't worry too much about it. I take Dutasteride, which is basically a stronger version of Finasteride, and I've had no problems with it. The 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors have good safety profiles, so I wouldn't think too much about getting an adverse reaction from one since it's very unlikely.