One a day will keep the depression away. To many men (and women) today, the bathroom mirror is the mortal enemy. Every day, you stumble into the bathroom, yank the toothbrush out of its holder, and very reluctantly venture an eye into the mirror above the sink. What you see devitalizes you. It devastates you. What once sprung so vivaciously from your head has now been replaced by a smooth, shiny surface. In just a couple of years, it seems, your looks have aged by ten years. Its a process that consumes you day by day, week by week. And theres nothing you can do to stop it. Yes, you are going bald. However, as helpless as it may feel, not everybody is taking this seemingly inevitable fate sitting down. Many Americans every day are opening up the medicine cabinet behind that mirror to pull out the tabulated form of salvation. Its not the first product to treat hair loss and it certainly wont be the last, but Propecia is certainly winning the race when it comes to foiling vanitys worst nightmare. At first, it looks a lot like your standard pain reliever or aspirin pill. The pain that Propecia will ease you from, however, is of a much different variety. As you probably know already, Propecia is the first pill that has been proven to fight the process of hair loss and in many cases, actually re-grow some hair. Propecia is a tablet that is taken daily, with a months supply generally running between $50 and $55. And the fact that Propecia actually works, theyre saying, is much more than just hair-say. The facts are out. Granted, this study was done over the course of two years of Propecia use, but 83 percent of balding men between the ages of 18 and 41 maintained their hair count during the experiment, while 66 percent of the group actually grew back a considerable amount of hair. The difference between Propecia and other products, like Rogaine, for instance, is that Propecia grows back thicker, natural hair as opposed to the limp peach fuzz. We wont even mention that fishy smell that Rogaine users often complain of. And heres a bit of good news for that receding hairline. While Propecia has been widely believed to work the crown and vertex exclusively, studies out of the University of Pennsylvania are now confirming that the drug will also stimulate frontal hair growth. While re-growth along the temples has yet to be proven, steady growth in the middle of the front has been proven through extensive experimenting. Most hair doctors will tell you that Propecia takes a good three to four months before kicking in, so if youre waiting for immediate results, you may as well grab a Snickers Bar. But if you dont see any positive results after a year of taking Propecia, chances are that youre not only wasting you time, youre wasting your money as well. Now comes the bad news. For you ladies who are seeing dread atop the head, Propecia is not for you. It is a drug designed exclusively for men. Also, Propecia, like many other prescription medications, is not free of unfortunate side effects. Under extensive experimenting, a small number of subjects (2 percent, to be exact) were effected with such conditions as diminished sex drive, inadequate erections, and a decrease in semen. |
