Hair loss is a sensitive subject for lots of people – and as men we don’t like talking about it.
I was aware my hair was thinning a little in my early twenties at university. I was shy and withdrawn and didn't go out as much because of it. About seven or eight years ago I could see my hair was beginning to thin quite considerably so I started taking finasteride tablets prescribed by my GP.
Now I’m in my 30s I’m much more comfortable talking about it – and would encourage anyone who’s worried about hair loss to come to one of our pharmacies, have a private one-to-one consultation with a professional pharmacist, and discuss the reasons behind the hair loss and suitable treatment. You can get the advice you need from one of our accredited pharmacists and purchase the tablets here without taking time out to visit your GP.
We started offering finasteride hair loss tablets to customers this year – and we’re committed to offering affordable healthcare. Finasteride oral tablets are just £28 for a month’s supply at Asda – much cheaper than the price it’s available at from other high street retailers.
Offering treatments like finasteride at a lower price than other retailers is giving more people the confidence to try a treatment that they might not otherwise.
My personal experience is that finasteride has halted my hair loss completely and thickened my hair too – you can see a difference in this picture of me with a customer back in 2009 and the photo of me at the top of the post. If I hadn't taken it I would definitely have lost my hair. I've got an identical twin brother and my mum notices the significant difference between us. His hair is a lot thinner, so he's now started taking it too!
I've still got areas with less hair, and I wish I'd taken the tablets in my twenties because it could have prevented that initial hair loss. It's improved my confidence and I'm happy to have my photo taken. When I met head office colleagues for the first time in a while they assumed I'd had a hair transplant!
My personal experience meant I was very passionate about rolling out finasteride to our pharmacies. I think a lot of people don't know this treatment exists and also don't know we offer it.
You take one tablet daily. You have a consultation with a pharmacist who checks there are no underlying conditions which could cause your hair loss like an overactive thyroid or diabetes. Then you get a month's supply to begin with to make sure there are no side-effects, then at your next consultation you can get a six month supply.
Finasteride blocks a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which causes hair loss. This allows more nutrients to reach your hair so it grows back thicker and healthier. If you've got very fine hair, that will grow back thicker but if you're bald and you've lost all your hair that won't grow back because the hair follicles that produce the hair have died. It's been proven to be 91% effective.
We do also offer Regain – a mousse applied twice a day. Not everyone wants to do that twice a day so most people feel it's more convenient to take a tablet.
- Please consult a pharmacist or GP before taking hair replacement medication.
