Q: My friend is taking Avodart, he bought it over the internet. Is it safe to take? A: Avodart (dutasteride 0.5mg) was approved by the FDA for the treatment of prostate enlargement in men in 2002. Avodart has not been approved for the treatment of androgenetic hair loss, although physicians can use an approved medication [...]

Q: I have a 19-year-old son who is suffering from hair loss. I wonder if that will affect him in years to come if he starts taking it? A: Finasteride was approved in 1992 as Proscar and as Propecia in 1997, so there is a lot of clinical data so far. Remember that over time, [...]

Q: I heard that Propecia was being used originally for shrinking the prostate, is this true? A: Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is not a prostate medication that was serendipitously noted to have a side effect of re-growing hair, it is a medication that was known all along that it might be able to slow hair loss [...]

Q:What is the difference between Rogaine for men and Rogaine for women? A: Rogaine for men is 5% minoxidil and Rogaine for women is 2%. Another difference is that the 5% solution has propylene glycol in it whereas the 2% is alcohol based. The propylene glycol helps the minoxidil penetrate the skin better and makes [...]

Q Do Rogaine and Propecia work synergistically? A: They are synergistic, since the mechanisms of action are different. Rogaine directly stimulates hair growth, while Propecia is permissive for hair growth by blocking DHT, the byproduct of testosterone that causes hair to miniaturize and eventually disappear. The important thing to remember, however, is that for most [...]