Q: I am currently 28. I have been taking Propecia for 6 years and recently began to grow sparse chest hair for the first time in my life. Is the Propecia causing these effects? — H.L., Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY

A: DHT causes male pattern baldness and stimulates the growth of body hair. The use of Finasteride, a DHT blocker, will permit scalp hair to grown and inhibit the growth of body hair, not stimulate it.

However, the effects on body hair are quite small, so your natural tendency to grow chest hair over time is probably not being blocked by the treatment.