Bernstein Medical Blog

This page contains all posts in our News, Answers, Video, and Research sections.

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What is Latest Information on Persistent Side Effects from Finasteride?

November 5th, 2012

Q: I have heard that side effects from finasteride can persist even after stopping the medication. What is the most current information on this issue? — S.V., Short Hills, N.J.

A: For the past two years I have been on the ISHRS’s Task Force on Finasteride Adverse Events and struggling to make sense of this issue. There seems to be a disconnect between the relatively low incidence of side effects that we, as physicians, see in our practices, what published controlled studies have shown, and what is now being reported on the internet. For example, a 2012 study by Sato of 3,177 Japanese men published the Journal of Dermatology, showed a 0.7% incidence of adverse reactions to finasteride 1% and no persistent side effects after stopping the medication.

That said, there has been a recent increase in anecdotal reports of side effects from finasteride as well as reports of persistent side effects after the medication has been discontinued (referred to as “Post-finasteride Syndrome”).

Does Propecia (Finasteride) Work Long-Term?

November 3rd, 2012

Q: I have been taking finasteride for several years and I seem to be doing well. Does finasteride generally work long-term? — A.C., West University Place, Texas

A: With regard to efficacy, a recent long-term, uncontrolled study by Rossi et al. reported that the effects of finasteride were not reduced as time goes on and that a significant proportion of patients, unchanged after 1 year, improved later on. In addition these patients maintained a positive trend over time -– up to ten years. When comparing different age groups, they found that subjects older than 30 years showed a better hair growth in the long term than those who were younger. Of the 113 patients in the study followed for 10 years, only 14% worsened, whereas the remaining 86% had benefits.

Does Propecia Work On The Front of the Scalp?

October 29th, 2012

Hair loss medications are a topic of interest to a great number of people around the world. While the treatment of hair loss with Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) have proven to result in a reversal of hair loss, patients still have a number of questions about the drugs’ efficacy and safety. Sometimes these concerns can be exacerbated by reports in the media. Dr. Bernstein discusses these issues in this clip.

Dr. Bernstein Leads Robotic FUE ‘Coffee With Experts’ At ISHRS 20th Annual Meeting

October 26th, 2012

Dr. Bernstein heads discussion on Robotic FUE at the 20th annual meeting of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) which took place October 17-20, 2012. He led a roundtable discussion in the ‘Coffee with the Experts’ session on robotic follicular unit extraction. He was also a panelist at the Finasteride Symposium and gave a presentation on protocol in prescribing Finasteride to hair restoration patients.

Are Reports of Persistent Side Effects With Finasteride Real?

October 26th, 2012

Q: Dr. Bernstein, I am an attending at Mass General Hospital in Boston and would like to ask you regarding your experiences using finasteride for male androgenetic alopecia. While I have not noticed any side effects in the patients that I have been treating, I increasingly get questions regarding side effects based on the recent media attention to reports of potentially permanent problems regarding libido or erectile dysfunction. I know that in the literature there is a slight increase of reversible sexual dysfunction (~4% vs. ~2% in placebo) with Propecia, and no convincing evidence to date in the medical literature that have used controlled studies regarding permanent problems even after discontinuing Propecia. — S.Z., Boston, Massachusetts

A: That is correct.

Q: I know that you have treated many patients over a long period of time, and I was thus wondering what your take is on potentially permanent sexual dysfunction after taking finasteride. Have you seen any convincing reports/patients or do you have any concerns regarding irreversible side effects?

A: I have seen 5 cases in over 10,000 patients on finasteride that complained of this but, of course, there is no way to know for sure if there is a cause and effect relationship. As you know, real side effects may be followed by psychological ones and if the sexual dysfunction has another cause, then stopping finasteride would have no effect on the symptoms. The incidence of sexual dysfunction in the population of men on finasteride is about 30%, so one would expect these numbers to be much higher just due to the normal incidence. It is really a difficult situation to understand. The experience that my colleagues and I have in our practices is much different than one would expect after reading the numerous anecdotal reports on the internet.

Q: Would you think it is safe to say that any potential sexual dysfunction is reversible after discontinuing the use of finasteride?

A: I don’t think that anyone knows at this point. The FDA is coming down on the side of caution and saying that it is possible, although it is not based on any new studies. If the phenomenon is real, the possible mechanism is not yet known.

Q: In the relatively few patients that I have treated with Propecia, they did not even report temporary problems regarding libido or erectile dysfunction. Do you think they are real or rather attributed to Propecia simply because the patient is made aware of these potential side effects?

A: I think that psychological effects may account for many cases. At this time, it is still not clear if a physiologic “post-finasteride syndrome” is real. A lot more work needs to be done before we have a definitive answer to this question.

If There is Some Bleeding at the Graft Site, Will it Affect Growth?

October 24th, 2012

Q: I am currently 8 days post op. I started to massage my hair in the shower to get rid of the scabs. When I was done I looked in the mirror and saw two of my transplanted hairs were slightly bleeding but still intact. What does that mean? Did I lose the grafts? — B.G., Stamford, C.T.

A: If they bleed, but were not dislodged (i.e. did not come out), they should grow fine. Just be gentle for the next week. Generally, when follicular unit transplantation is performed with tiny sites (19-21 gauge needles) the grafts are permanent at 10 days. Since I did not perform your procedure and am not familiar with the technique your doctor actually used, I would give it the extra few days.

Why Are Medical Publications So Important?

October 22nd, 2012

Dr. Bernstein speaks to the importance and usefulness of publishing research in peer-reviewed medical journals. He is the most widely published author on the Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) hair transplant procedures, having published more than sixty articles, editorial reviews, books, and textbook chapters.

Should I Start Hair Loss Treatment With Finasteride or Dutasteride?

October 15th, 2012

Q: I recently visited my dermatologist regarding my hair loss, and after checking my hair he said I am showing signs of [Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA)], and said if I don’t treat it, it will progress. From my research on the net, I figured he will put me on Propecia. In fact he put me on Avodart. When I told him it is not FDA-approved for hair loss, and Propecia is, he said Avodart is better and brings DHT down more, and Propecia is nothing next to Avodart. He told me to take it every day for 2 weeks, then every other day from then on as it has a long half life. From researching on the net, many hair restoration doctors, rarely prescribe Avodart for hair loss due to some dangers. What is your opinion on this? — T.G., Darien, Connecticut

A: Although dutasteride (Avodart) can be more effective for male pattern hair loss, I would start with finasteride (Propecia) as many patients do great with it and the safety profile is better. The following are things I would consider before starting dutasteride:

As you point out, dutasteride is not FDA-approved for hair loss.
There is no data on its safety when used for hair loss. This is important since dutasteride has been only tested on an older population of patients (with prostate disease) rather than a younger population of patients needing medical treatment for androgenetic alopecia.
These is no natural model for dutasteride’s combined blockage of both type 1 and 2 5-alpha reductase (finasteride blocks only type 2 5-AR and there are families that have this deficiency and have no long-term problems. This, by the way, is how the drug was discovered).
The type 1 enzyme which dutasteride blocks is present in many more tissues of the body (including the brain) compared to type 2 (which is more localized to the skin).
Although so far unproven, there is a concern that finasteride may produce side effects than can be persistent after stopping the medication (post-finasteride syndrome). It this does turn out to be true, the effects from dutasteride would most likely be significantly more persistent.
If you start with finasteride and do have side effects, you will most surely have side effects from dutasteride; therefore, by taking finasteride first you will have avoided the potentially more problematic side effects from dutasteride
You may respond well to finasteride, and so do not need to consider dutasteride

Can Pulling Out Transplanted Hair Effect Growth After Hair Transplant?

October 8th, 2012

Q: At about six days post op, I started to notice hairs on the tips of my fingers as I rubbed off my scabs. Additionally, if I tugged on the hairs lightly, they would immediately come out without any resistance. I did notice the small bulb at the end of the hair. My question is: is it not recommended to remove these hairs that have separated from the follicle? Should I just allow them to fall out on their own, or does it matter at all? Can pulling hairs out at 10 days post op effect growth differently than individuals who allow the hairs to fall out naturally? — T.T., Boston, M.A.

A: At 10 days it should usually not make a difference, but I would still just let the hair fall out naturally when you shampoo. If there are any crusts (scabs) on the hair they are cosmetically bothersome, they can be gently scrubbed off in the shower at 10 days when very tiny recipient sites are used and you should wait slightly longer if larger sites were used. Since I don’t know the technique or site size used in your procedure, I would wait a full two weeks to be certain the grafts are permanent.

Press Release: Hair Restoration Pioneer Improves Robotic FUE Hair Transplant Procedures

October 1st, 2012

New York, NY (PRWEB) — Robert M. Bernstein, M.D., F.A.A.D., A.B.H.R.S., a world-renowned hair transplant surgeon, presented a series of improvements to hair transplant procedures which use the ARTAS Robotic System for Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). These updates include revisions to the FUE surgical protocol and technical adjustments to the robotic extraction system. He presented his refinements at the first user meeting held by the developers of the system; Restoration Robotics, Inc.; on September 14 – 16 in Denver, Colorado.

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