8 articles
Saw palmetto and finasteride both block the enzyme that makes DHT — but one is a weak, reversible botanical and the other a potent, FDA-approved drug. Here is the honest head-to-head on effectiveness, side effects, evidence, and who each one is actually for.
Post-finasteride syndrome describes persistent sexual, neurological and mood symptoms after stopping finasteride. It is rare, contested in its mechanisms, real for the people who experience it, and surrounded by more heat than light. Here is the evidence-grounded version.
Oral finasteride is the most-studied prescription hair-loss treatment, with three decades of randomised trial data, a well-characterised effect size, and a side-effect profile that is real but smaller and rarer than internet anecdote suggests. Here is the decision-first guide — efficacy, dosing, side effects, who should and shouldn't take it, and how to start.
Topical finasteride lowers serum DHT less than oral but enough to act on the follicle — with a fraction of the systemic exposure. The trial evidence, formulation reality, and who should actually switch.
Dutasteride suppresses 90% of scalp DHT vs finasteride's 70% — but it's off-label, more expensive, and has a 5-week half-life. The actual head-to-head comparison and a decision tree.
DHT is the hormone that drives androgenetic alopecia — but it doesn't attack all hair the same way. The mechanism, the genetic susceptibility, and what actually happens when finasteride blocks it.
Forum threads paint finasteride as terrifying. The published trial data tells a more measured story. Here are the actual numbers — sexual, mood, prostate-related — across 14,000+ patients.
There are five evidence-based treatments for androgenetic alopecia in 2026 — minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride, microneedling, and saw palmetto. Here's how to pick the right combination for your case in under 10 minutes.