Dutasteride for hair loss

Loss of hair can either be thinning down or losing sizable amount of hair. Shedding of your locks may occur due to various triggers. One of the common causes is loss of hair owing to stressful conditions. This condition is called Telogen effluvium; shedding of hair may persist for 9 to 11 weeks. The underlying trigger can acute infections, persistent spells of sickness or malaise. In case of females, post-partum stress / after-delivery phase can cause hair loss. Can you use dutasteride for hair loss? It is helpful to have more inputs.

Hair is essentially a filament made of protein. Each hair strand grows off a follicle present on skin. Though some areas are labelled as bald, your body is covered by follicles. Follicles are present at points where hair grows. Hair is made of a protein-form known as alpha keratin. Hair has two major parts; portion underneath your skin and the shaft that comes above the epidermis.

The follicle – below your skin – helps maintain your stem cells. These help hair to regrow i.e., after it has fallen out. Apart from this, follicle also helps with the regrowth of skin – as part of wound management. The shaft of your hair is what you see above your skin. Keratin is a protein-derivative taking a lion’s share of each shaft.

If you cross-sect a hair shaft, you will see many layers within. The outer layer is called cuticle; this is made of thinner cells with an overlapped layout. The inner layer is cortex wherein you find packs of keratin; these assume a rod form.

The central area is called medulla; this is an open as well as a disorganised part of each strand of your hair. It is however the cortex that lends color – with the aid of a coloring agent called melanin.

What is dutasteride?

This drug is used for the treatment of male pattern baldness. This condition is also called male androgenetic alopecia. It is sold in the form of oil-filled, softer capsules. The standard strength is 0.5 milligram (mg) each. The bio-availability of dutasteride – taken through oral route – is more than 58%. This is the reason intake of this med with a meal is unlikely to affect its efficacy.

The good thing about dutasteride is it is tolerated quite well; it is widely considered safe for both males and females. Dutasteride forms part of a genre known as 5-alpha-reductase inhibiting meds. This med controls the enzyme 5-alpha reductase; this is essential for converting testosterone as DHT. 

Dutasteride for hair loss

An advantage of dutasteride – as compared to drugs like finasteride – is it can control three forms of the testosterone-to-DHT converting enzyme. On the other hand, finasteride is only known to exert control over one or two (iso)forms of this enzyme.

As a result, dutasteride is capable of reducing DHT-levels in excess of 95% in blood. This is in stark contrast to less than 70% reduction finasteride brings about.

Dutasteride dosage for hair loss

In general, a per-day dosage of 0.5 mg of dutasteride is administered. It is widely used to help hair to regrow. It is believed to trigger hair regrowth at a quicker rate than other meds like finasteride. A key action of dutasteride is its ability to reduce DHT i.e., dihydrotestosterone.

Ensuring lesser presence of DHT inside each follicle promotes hair growth. You also need to know – through an off-label mode – dutasteride is offered to women with pattern baldness in them.

Dutasteride can take 120 to 150 minutes to reach a peak-level in plasma (of blood). Traces of it can also be witnessed in your semen. But it is not likely to cause any major effects on hormonal balance of your sexual partner(s). Dutasteride is processed by your liver. Those with hepatic disorders like hepatitis or cirrhosis are advised to tell with your caregiver of such conditions prior to starting the dosage plan.

Disclaimer

Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.