Ive got very thin hair (shafts) on my crown. Does propecia open up the follicle and cause new hair to have a thicker shaft or does it simply prevent the existing hair from falling out?
I searched but could not find an answer to this specific question.

Thanks.

It can thicken miniaturized hair. It will not thicken normal hair. Minoxidil might though.

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NW < 2 since 1999

The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'evidence'.
--Alan I. Leshner

Correlation does not imply causation.
--Logic

When you believe in things that you don't understand then you suffer. Superstition ain't the way.
--Stevie Wonder

I'm not an MD, and I'm not a hair loss expert.

When you say miniturized, do you mean a hair shaft that has been made thinner by a shrinking follicle? I meant that my crown hairs are thin due to loss, they are not normal hairs. Thanks.

Yes, that's what I mean.

After 4 months men on minoxidil alone will see more "regrowth" (thickening of miniaturized hair) than men on finasteride alone will at 12 months.

However, after 12 months men on minoxidil alone will have less remaining regrowth than men on finasteride alone.

Your best bet is to use both: minoxidil to regrow, and finasteride to regrow and maintain.

See a post of mine in a different thread that runs down the difference between growth stimulants and antiandrogens.

-------------------------
NW < 2 since 1999

The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'evidence'.
--Alan I. Leshner

Correlation does not imply causation.
--Logic

When you believe in things that you don't understand then you suffer. Superstition ain't the way.
--Stevie Wonder

I'm not an MD, and I'm not a hair loss expert.

Thickening the individual shafts is the main way that Fin causes any "thickening" at all. It causes very little regrowth of missing hair shafts, it mainly works by blocking and mildly reversing the MPB damage on the existing ones.

Next week I am going to try to get a prescription for Propecia, hopefully I can hold off anymore loss.
Thanks for the replies.

In fairness, doesn't regrowth only occur to the extent that there is at least existing vellus hair?

Otherwise we are talking about follicular neo-genisis, right?

-------------------------
NW < 2 since 1999

The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'evidence'.
--Alan I. Leshner

Correlation does not imply causation.
--Logic

When you believe in things that you don't understand then you suffer. Superstition ain't the way.
--Stevie Wonder

I'm not an MD, and I'm not a hair loss expert.

hi, a few facts on male pattern hair loss

nothing will stop hair falling out, as it is a natural part of the hair growth cycle,

every healthy hair goes through a growing phase, then after 2 to 4 years or so it falls out, then it goes through a resting phase for several months, then starts it's growing phase again, you only have about 70% of active follicles actually growing hair at any one time

what we generally call "Hair Loss" should really be termed "Hair Miniaturization"
in some men with DHT sensitive follicles, the hair grows back a little thinner each time it goes through a cycle, until the hair that's produced is nothing more that fine fluff.

this is how male pattern baldness works, it's not because it falls out as such

propcecia reduces the effect of DHT on those sensitive follicles which can allow the hair shaft to become thicker over the next growth cycles, generally speaking it is most successful at preventing further miniaturization

Think of inhibition of 5ar as helping to slow hairloss and thickening your hair via topicals