How does Propecia work?

Propecia works in the scalp affecting the conversion of testosterone
to DHT, a chemical naturally occurring in the male scalp. When the
level of DHT goes above a certain level, some of the hair follicles in
the scalp hibernate and the hair fall out.

Propecia inhibits the production of DHT, which in most men bring the
level below the hair growth threshold. As long as the patient is taking
Propecia, the level remains reduced and the hair loss is reduced or
stopped. In some cases, some of the hair even grows back.

Propecia has been studied in several tests including a 5 year clinical study which gave the following results.

• 90% of participants saw a visible improvement divided into 48% who
  saw regrowth of hair and 42% who saw no further hair loss. This is
  compared to 25% in a placebo control group.
• In the first year of the study 86% experienced visibly more hair.

According to the clinical studies, Propecia showed very few side effects that too very rarely and did not affect most men.

A small number of men had sexual side effects, with each happening
in less than 2% of men. These include less desire for sex, difficulty
in achieving an erection, and a decrease in the amount of semen. These
side effects were reversible in nature and went away in men who stopped
taking Propecia because of these side effects. In addition, these side
effects decreased to 0.3% of men or less by the fifth year of treatment.

In common use, the following mild and less serious side effects have
been reported: allergic reactions including rash, itching, hives, and
swelling of the lips and face; problems with ejaculation; breast
tenderness and enlargement; and testicular pain. You should promptly
report to your doctor any changes in your breasts such as lumps, pain,
or nipple discharge. Tell your doctor about these or any other side
effects you experience.

Propecia is as such a very safe and effective drug, but you have to
be very careful before you take it. Like all prescription medicines,
Propecia also has side effects but they are mild and negligible.So don’t let baldness be a part of you.

By knowing
what really causes hair loss you can take action and stop it from
continuing. And you may even be able to regrow your hair. Read on…

The REAL cause of hair loss…

…is
actually the opposite to the common myth of what causes it. The common
myth is that excess testosterone produces lots of DHT, and the DHT
attacks the hair follicles and results in baldness. This is a half
truth. Yes, DHT is what eventually leads to the death of hair
follicles. But testosterone does not cause DHT in the amounts needed to
be destructive. So what does?

Well, this is where the irony comes
in. It is actually excess estrogen (”the female hormone”) that causes
the OVER production of DHT to occur. In modern societies we call this
estrogen dominance. And it’s a very destruction state, since too much
estrogen in the body causes ageing via DHT production.

It’s an
interesting observation to notice that in “primitive cultures” where
estrogen dominance does not exist, conditions caused by estrogen
dominance like hair loss are rare. This leads us to what causes
estrogen dominance….

There are two main causes of estrogen dominance:

1. Toxins in foods and the environment, such as preservatives in foods and car fumes.

2. Estrogen forming foods, such as soy.

So this is how to handle the problem:

1. Toxins.

The
body can normally take care of toxins via the liver. The liver
neutralizes them before they cause any damage. But, when the liver
becomes overworked, it lets some toxins slip by. The toxins that slip
by turn into estrogen. With the amount of toxins in our environment you
can see why the liver cannot do it’s job properly. But the problem can
be effectively handled.

The liver needs rejuvenating. Take a
liver cleansing product for a few weeks to kick the liver back into
full gear. Once you do this the liver will handle the toxins more
effectively and so MUCH less estrogen will form.

You should also
try and eat non-toxic food. Do this by eating as much organic food as
possible whilst on the liver cleansing product. By the way, many liver
cleansing products exist on the market, and they are all generally very
good products.

2. Estrogen forming foods.

You need to stop
eating foods that cause the production of estrogen NOW. This means
cutting out of your diet ALL soy products (soya milk, soy sauce etc.)
It also means not taking flaxseed oil supplements.

These two
steps, if done consistently over a few weeks, will halt the production
of estrogen in the body - and this will mean no NEW DHT will form. But,
there is one last step in this process. You need to remove the EXISTING
DHT from your scalp ASAP. This DHT is LODGED on your scalp and will
continue to cause hair loss which is not so great by the way :(.

PROPECIA(finasteride), a synthetic 4-azasteroid compound, is a specific inhibitor of steroid Type II 5a-reductase, an intracellular enzyme that converts the androgen testosterone into 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Finasteride is 4-azaandrost-1-ene-17-carboxamide,N-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-3-oxo-,(5a,17b)-. The empirical formula of finasteride is C₂₃H₃₆N₂O₂ and its molecular weight is 372.55. Its structural formula is:

Finasteride is a white crystalline powder with a melting point near 250°C. It is freely soluble in chloroform and in lower alcohol solvents but is practically insoluble in water.

PROPECIA tablets for oral administration are film-coated tablets
that contain 1 mg of finasteride and the following inactive
ingredients: lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose LF, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, talc, docusate sodium, yellow ferric oxide, and red ferric oxide.

Using Propecia Finasteride online as a Hair Loss Treatment

Finasteride (brand name Propecia®) is an orally administered
medication for male pattern hair loss (MPHL). It is the only specific
MPHL treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for
prescription by a physician. Several years of investigation and use by
more than a million patients show that finasteride has long-term
effectiveness and safety in treating MPHL in men of all ages and all
ethnic backgrounds. Finasteride is sometimes used alone or in
combination with minoxidil (see Using Minoxidil (Rogaine) ) to complement hair transplantation. Finasteride is not recommended for use in women.

Finasteride’s effects in slowing hair loss and stimulating new hair
growth work best for early to moderate degrees of hair loss. Men with
extensive hair loss are unlikely to experience much regrowth with
finasteride; these men are better candidates for hair transplantation
or other surgical approach to hair restoration.

Finasteride is most effective in stimulating hair regrowth over the
crown of the scalp. It is less effective in stimulating regrowth at the
front of the scalp-where hair loss is commonly called a “receding
hairline”. Physician hair restoration specialists may prescribe
finasteride to prevent further hair loss by the patient, and carry out
hair transplantation to provide coverage at the frontal hairline.

Finasteride: How It Works

Finasteride works at the molecular level to halt hair loss and
stimulate new hair growth. It is a medication that selectively inhibits
the activity of an enzyme that converts the “male hormone” testosterone
into a form that is active in hair follicles.

Androgenic (”male”) hormones such as testosterone have multiple
effects in the body, including actions in the skin, hair follicles and
prostate gland. Hair follicles and sebaceous (oil-producing) glands in
the skin are particularly responsive to androgenic hormones.

Testosterone is the most potent of the androgenic hormones. Its
actions on hair follicles, skin and prostate tissue is not direct
however; These tissues are responsive to a form of testosterone called
dihydrotestosterone (DHT); testosterone is converted to DHT by the
enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. Finasteride acts by inhibiting the action of
5-alpha-reductase and thus inhibiting the conversion of testosterone
into DHT.

Investigators over a number of years found that 5-alpha-reductase
occurs in two forms identified as Type I and Type II, and that
finasteride is effective in inhibition of Type II. Type I of the enzyme
predominates in sebaceous glands. Type II occurs most abundantly in
hair follicles and prostate tissue. Investigators found that:

                                                                  PROPECIA

Doctors believe male pattern hair loss is due to heredity
and is dependent on hormonal effects. Doctors refer to this type of
balding as Androgenetic Alopecia. Mild to severe male pattern hair loss
affects 80 percent of men. It has been found that men with male pattern
hair loss have increased levels of dihydro-testosterone (DHT) in their
balding scalps. Scientists believe these increased levels of DHT affect
the growth cycle, contributing to the thinning of the hair on the
scalp. Propecia works by blocking the formation of DHT.

Propecia (generic name Finasteride), the first and only
pill to treat androgenetic alopecia, was developed to treat male
pattern hair loss in the vertex (top of head) and anterior mid-scalp
area. Propecia is proven to maintain or increase hair count in most men.

What type of results should be expected?

Propecia (finasteride) begins to block the formation of
DHT immediately. However, because hair grows slowly, visible results
from Propecia take some time. Most men may begin to see the first
benefit of Propecia-slowing hair loss- as early as 3 months. In
clinical studies, it was not just ‘peach fuzz’ but real hair growth on
both vertex and anterior mid-scalp area. Propecia must be continued to
maintain any beneficial results. If you cease treatment, any hair you
have gained is likely to be lost within 12 months.

Warning

Propecia is a MEN ONLY treatment for hair loss, women are
strongly advised not to take or come in to contact with Propecia.
Propecia may cause abnormalities of the baby’s sex organs, a condition
known as hypospasdias.

Side Effects

Like all prescription products, Propecia may cause side
effects. In clinical studies, side effects from Propecia were uncommon
and did not affect most men. A small number of men experienced certain
sexual side effects. These men reported one or more of the following:
less desire for sex; difficulty in achieving an erection; and, a
decrease in the amount of semen. Each of these side effects occurred in
less than 2% of men. These side effects went away in men who stopped
taking Propecia. They also disappeared in most men who continued taking
Propecia.

The active ingredient in Propecia is also used by older
men at a five-times higher dose to treat enlargement of the prostate.
Some of these men reported other side effects, including problems with
ejaculation, breast swelling and/or tenderness and allergic reactions
such as lip swelling and rash. In clinical studies with Propecia, these
side effects occurred as often in men taking placebo as in those taking
Propecia.

Tell your doctor promptly about these or any other unusual effects.