I don't think the options are so bleak. Serious side effects from finasteride are something like 1% of users. I've been taking it longer than I can remember with zero side effects except I haven't lost any hair.
Most recent studies show around 90% effectiveness at preventing further loss.
Just because something can't turn back the clock doesn't mean it isn't a cure. Surely penicillin has almost 0% cure rate if you delay taking it for an infection for a few years.
People don't penicillin as a preventative to getting sick. I think you are talking about finasteride though. As we all probably know, it's actually harmful to take antibiotics as a general preventative, because that leads to increased bacterial resistance to those drugs.
Each to his own. There's definitely a risk there, perhaps I'm more vain or insecure than most. Almost every guy I've let in on my "secret" has declined to take it themselves
Most recent studies show around 90% effectiveness at preventing further loss.
Just because something can't turn back the clock doesn't mean it isn't a cure. Surely penicillin has almost 0% cure rate if you delay taking it for an infection for a few years.