Hair Restoration Specialist


Otolaryngology & Allergy Testing & Immunotherapy Clinic located in Mandeville, LA & Slidell, LA

Male-pattern baldness is the primary cause of hair loss in men, but the problem can often be successfully treated with a medication called finasteride. At SLENT, the team helps restore men’s hair by prescribing finasteride, which effectively stops hair loss and promotes new hair growth. To learn if you’re a good candidate for finasteride, call the office in Slidell, Hammond, or Mandeville, Louisiana, or schedule an appointment online.

Hair Restoration Q & A

What is finasteride?

In men, up to 10% of the testosterone in their body is turned into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which serves the same role as testosterone but is more potent. Finasteride is a medication that blocks the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Finasteride treats two androgen-dependent conditions: benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) and male-pattern baldness. The team at SLENT Medical Spa prescribes finasteride for male-pattern baldness.

What causes male-pattern baldness?

Male-pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, is an inherited condition that makes your hair follicles more sensitive to DHT. While DHT is essential for hair growth on your body, it damages hair growth on your head.

When the follicles on your scalp become sensitive to DHT, they shrink, making hair grow thinner and weaker. The hormone also progressively shortens the hair follicle’s growth phase. Eventually, the growth phase is so short that new hair doesn’t grow. The follicle essentially stays in an ongoing resting phase where it stops growing hair.

Hair loss due to DHT sensitivity progresses in a distinct pattern of balding. You lose hair at the top of your head, causing a receding hairline, and on the crown. The hair around the sides and back of your head isn’t affected by DHT, so you retain a ring of healthy hair.

When you take finasteride, your blood levels of DHT are significantly reduced. As a result, hair loss slows down and your follicles may start growing hair.

What should I know about finasteride?

Hair growth happens slowly, so it takes at least three months before you see results from taking finasteride. If you take the medication for 12 months without seeing improvement in hair growth, you may need to consider other treatment options.

It’s also important to know that finasteride only works while you take it. If you stop, levels of DHT increase and you experience the same hair loss.

Finally, finasteride can cause birth defects if a woman is exposed to the drug while she’s pregnant. Women shouldn’t touch the tablets because the drug can be absorbed from the tablet, through their skin, and into the bloodstream. 

To get help for hair loss, call SLENT Medical Spa or schedule an appointment online.