If you reside in the US or Canada, you have almost certainly heard of Dr. Jordan Peterson. For a few months last year, I was really into watching his videos, but then got bored and a bit disenchanted for various reasons. Today, Youtube recommended me an old video of his from a 2010 lecture. This is what his hair looked like in 2010:
Jordan Peterson’s receding hairline in 2010.
A closeup of Mr. Peterson’s old hairline shows clear balding:
Jordan Peterson balding hairline closeup.
In recent years, Jordan Peterson has lost a lot of weight and at the same time gained scalp hair! Just like Drew Carey. Image below is from 2018. I would not be surprised if Mr. Peterson got a hair transplant, since his frontal hairline looks a bit too perfect now.
Update: November 2022 — An interesting new paper titled “Biomaterials for treatment of baldness” just got published. They used finasteride-loaded poly D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) naoparticles to deliver finasteride locally to the scalp. The drug can penetrate more easily and remain in the acting site for a longer duration of 5-6 weeks.
Update: October 2022 — Chinese researchers have bioengineered polyester nanoparticles for the synergistic treatment of androgenic alopecia. They do this via the 1) Supression of 5α-reductase (via Dutasteride in this case); and 2) Knockdown of the androgen receptor. The delivery technology utilized is called PLGA-DUT/siAR@DPCM nanoparticles. Dutasteride and siAR are both delivered topically to dermal papilla cells.
Update: July 2021 — Sustained release of topical finasteride via novel tip-loaded dissolving and implantable microneedle array patches.
I have covered topical finasteride for hair loss at regular intervals on this blog. Many of us are eagerly awaiting the final results from Polichem’s P-3074 Phase 3 clinical trials. Those trials ended in March 2018 and involved a sizable 459 male participants.
Topical finasteride for hair loss treatment.
More importantly, a number of hair transplant surgeons and pharmacies have in recent years started compounding their own version of topical finasteride.
In rare instances, they are even making the stronger topical dutasteride. Almost all local compounding pharmacies in the USA are able to make their own in-house topical finasteride.
From what I have read online and after calling several local pharmacies, it seems like gel-based topical finasteride is the most popular current topical option. Finasteride gel and finasteride tablets showed similar hair growth success rates per this 2009 study from Iran.
You can also get topical finasteride in various liquid solutions; creams; lotions; ointments; pastes; aerosol sprays; microsponges; and more.
Topical Finasteride Drug Delivery
It seems like there are numerous ever increasing potential ways in which to deliver topical finasteride to the scalp. Each drug delivery mechanism not only impacts final hair growth results, but also side effects. The ultimate aim in creating both topical finasteride and topical dutasteride is to drastically reduce potential side effects from the oral versions.
Iontophoresis delivery of finasteride is also being researched. Some of the above methods can overlap with each other or be used in combination. I have not tried to put too much effort into the science for the time being, and will probably expand this post in the future.
If you have tried using topical dutasteride or finasteride, do comment on how you obtained the product. And if possible, the format (gel, solution, cream) and carrier vehicle. Did you see reasonable results? Any side effects?
