Are low DHT levels automatically a good sign?

[jamesst11]

Hey everyone,
I have been on finasteride for about 4.5 months now. I just received my lab results and they are as follows.

Free testosterone: 750 ( normal 200-1000)
Serum DHT levels: 1.7 (she said normal range was 1.2-8)

No, I have NO baseline for these, but I also have very few side effects. Every single test I have ever had comes back within healthy range. My blood pressure and heart rate are those of a "marathon runner" in the words of my doc... SO, I would assume, especially since I have had aggressive MPB, that my baseline DHT would be normal to high, so...

Some one please tell me that because I have drastically lowered my DHT, all my friggin hair will grow back?!?!! haha

[jamesst11]

Sorry, that is DHT normal range is 120-800 and my levels were 170

[Paul Shapiro, MD]

Jamesst11
Your DHT level being low is good news. Having a base line to see how much it has decreased is a good piece of information to have but not necessary. We do not do baseline levels on our patients. Also the amount of DHT in your blood does not tell us how sensitive your hair follicle cells are to DHT. Sometimes a small drop is DHT is all one needs to get a significant affect from finasteride.
As you most likely know you have to be patient to see the effect of finasteride. In our practice at SMG we usually see results by 6 months but in some patients it takes a year to see a significant change.
The large finasteride trials showed that 90% of men taking finasteride have a positive effect. Of those 90% about half will regrow hair. The rest it just stops the balding from progressing.
That is what we see in our practice at SMG. When you say you have aggressive MPB does that mean you are already a Norwood 5 or6, or do you have lots of miniaturization. Is the hair loss mainly in the front, the crown or both? I find that if one is completely bald in an area then regrowth of hair is less likely, but if there is a lot of miniaturization regrowth is more likely.
Finasteride can work both in the front and the crown, and I have seen some remarkable results in both the front and the crown. But in my experience the best result seem to be in the crown and the area behind the hairline, (the central core area). And these patients tend to be Norwood type 2, 3, and 4.
Unfortunately there is no way we can predict the affect that finasteride will have on a patient. We just have to wait and see.
Good luck and let’s hope you are one of those guys who have a significant response.

[Ziggyz123]

Yo James, I would also assume that you're responding well. My scalp pain and what not is very minimal on micro doses of fin. And I'm cutting the quartered pieces of proscar even smaller.. You have a good baseline now I'd say because at one year is when most evaluate how it effecting them. Look at me, at one year I had scalp issues and massive shedding. Ever since the lower dose of fin, my hair being oily isn't too much of an issue. Just keep an eye out and listen to your body. Like the doc said, around 6 months is a good time to see how it's effecting you, but 12 is prime.

Good luck man. I know you're paranoid from dench57 and myself haha. Don't be. Fin works for most.

[jamesst11]

Ziggy,
I am glad to see you're smart enough to not become biased based on your experience. Most people that have had a negative reaction to fin (or anything in life) become really bitter. I HOPE to God I am responding well. The last 1.5 years have been a perpetual nightmare. My hair is definitely thinner then ever, but I hope things turn around from here.

Paul,
As always, thank you for a detailed response. Your advice and knowledge on these forums are priceless. After a year of EXTENSIVE research, I have promised myself that if I ever go the HT route it would be with you or Ron. Your results, especially on the hair line, are unbelievable. A brief story of what happened paul - I really did have THICK hair at the age of 30. I was at the very BEGINNING of MPB. You could notice a little thinning in the crown and on the left hair line region. I jumped the gun and got an HT from a main chain clinic, 900 grafts. That was in sep, 2013... Since then, I have had aggressive hair loss. I had HORRIBLE TE from the transplant... Well, almost two years later and I LITERALLY have 50% of the hair I had. I am hoping that since the loss is relatively recent, some will come back. I don't know what NW I am... Imagine a diffuse thinner that is extremely diffuse in the temples and crown... that's me!! maybe I should post some before and after pics.