Dr. Glenn Charles Answers: Can I Have A Hair Transplant Without Finasteride

I’m a 22 year old male. I have minor temple recession and no diffusion. How do I know how far I will progress. I don’t want to take finasteride. Is there anyway to predict future hair loss? 

Unfortunately there is no way to predict the amount of temporal recession and hair loss you’re going to have over your lifetime. This is especially true in younger patients who have a lot of years to live.

One thing I look at when creating a long-term strategy with a patient is their family history. Typically, there is at least one relative that will have a similar hair loss pattern as the patient. I look at relatives on both sides of the family, there is a misconception that hair loss is inherited solely from the maternal side. This is simply not true.

Genetic alopecia is an inherited condition that comes from either side of the family. The gene can skip a generation and even some lucky individuals, which makes it far more difficult to predict.

Propecia (finasteride) is prescribed to stop the progression of genetic hair loss. However, surgical hair restoration is a stand-alone treatment that grows without any pills. Therefore, taking finasteride is not a requirement to surgery, but is useful at preventing further hair loss.

Written by

Dr. Glenn Charles – Member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians and Recommended on the Hair Transplant Network