Why Does Shedding Occur During the Finasteride Treatment Process?

Whatever ailment or issue you’re looking to address, it’s important to know how the treatment will work before commencing, which is why prescribers will tell you what to expect and answer your questions.

One such occurrence that many men don’t expect from Finasteride is shedding; why does this happen? Is it normal? Let’s talk about how the treatment works.

Is Shedding Normal With Finasteride?

Shedding can occur during the first few months when you take Finasteride but it’s more likely to happen with Minoxidil. It’s nothing to be concerned about as 80% of men see positive effects of Finasteride.

As part of slowing and then stopping hair loss, Finasteride works by ridding the body of old and unhealthy strands. The reason for this is that your scalp needs to create space for new and thicker strands to grow.

Many people who take Finasteride start to panic when they initially see hair strands falling out within the first 3 months of treatment, but this is no cause for concern; on the contrary, it indicates the medication is working.

This is often confused as a negative side-effect of the treatment; side effects are possible but rare, even though they don’t include shedding. Signs like sexual performance issues should be known despite being unlikely to occur. 

The aim is that your hair will be put in a much better condition to the point where regrowth can be achieved but your scalp will need to shed old hair before this is possible.

What Does Finasteride Do?

Finasteride works to prevent the effects of DHT from harming your scalp. DHT is a hormone that causes male pattern hair loss in those who are genetically susceptible to it but is naturally produced in the male body from testosterone; it’s an androgen responsible for forming many male characteristics during our developmental stage. 

However, when you take Finasteride, the objective is to inhibit the transformation of testosterone into DHT so that you aren’t subjected to this hormone. This should leave your hair able to achieve its full growth potential again.

This process reduces the effects of miniaturisation and lengthens your hair’s growth phase of its cycle while simultaneously reducing the amount of time it spends resting. As such, your older hair needs to be shed so newer strands can grow and make your hair look more voluminous overall.

If you are concerned about hair loss, take a consultation with our hair loss service where an independent prescriber will recommend a tailored treatment plan for you. Get in touch with Sons today to find out more.

All of our blog articles are reviewed for medical accuracy by our Medical Director before publication.

Posted in: All, Finasteride, Hair loss