Evidence from clinical research shows that finasteride works well in men across a wide age range, but younger men tend to get better results on average. This is less to do with the medication becoming less effective with age, and more because older men tend to have more advanced hair loss when they start treatment.
We’ll explain what age has to do with potential results with finasteride.
Does age matter?
Age isn’t the biggest deciding factor in how well finasteride will work; the stage of hair loss is most important.
The stages of hair loss are ranked on a scale known as the Norwood-Hamilton Scale, gradually worsening from Stage I all the way up to Stage VI. As hair loss progresses over time, the more hair follicles are weakened by the hormone DHT. DHT binds to hair follicles and causes miniaturisation, meaning follicles grow weak, thin hair until they eventually become inactive and stop growing hair at all.
Earlier hair loss means less miniaturized hair follicles, making them easier to revive. For men with more advanced hair loss, follicles have been shrinking for longer making substantial regrowth harder to achieve.
Finasteride works best at preserving active hair follicles, strengthening and maintaining the hair you already have. Finasteride is still likely to slow or halt further hair loss at advanced stages of hair loss, but it’s generally better at preserving existing hair rather than regrowing areas where follicles have been inactive for a long time.
Why younger men tend to respond better
Studies show that finasteride is effective in men aged 18 to 65, but younger men generally respond better to treatment because they are at an earlier stage of hair loss on average.
A study found that finasteride 1mg in men aged 18-41 and 41-60 worked well in both groups, improving hair growth and reducing hair loss after 24 months. But outcomes were generally better in the younger group. Only 1% of the men in the younger group still saw continued hair loss after 24 months, compared to 6% in the older cohort.
The study also found the biggest improvements in the crown area for both groups, with 66% of younger men seeing an increase in hair growth and 39% of older men. The results were less dramatic in the frontal area, around the hairline and temples, with 21% of younger men seeing regrowth in this area compared to 8% of the older men.
So, according to the findings of this study, finasteride can slow or stop hair loss across the scalp, but the potential for regrowth is best in the crown.
You might be thinking that the study proves that finasteride simply works better in younger men, but that’s not necessarily the case. See, the researchers noted: “As expected, the men in the older group (41-60 years) graded higher on the Norwood/Hamilton scale of MPHL than the men in the younger age group (18-41 years).” This means that men in the older group started off with more advanced hair loss, which again, is harder to reverse than maintaining the hair already there. However, this view is based on one study – more research is needed before we can definitively say the impact age has on response to treatment.
So, finasteride doesn’t become less effective with age, but younger guys tend to have more active hair follicles left to save so tend to see better results.
The takeaway from the study is that results were strongest when treatment was started earlier and in younger men, supporting the idea that consistency and taking action early tend to have better outcomes than waiting until hair loss becomes more advanced. That said, don’t be discouraged if you’re worried it’s “too late” - the potential for regrowth might be more limited at later stages of hair loss, but finasteride can still help keep the hair you still have and prevent any further loss.
All of our blog articles are reviewed by our Medical Director before publication.
