POSTED: 6 Oct 2024
Male and female pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) are two of the most common forms of hair loss. They affect millions of people in the UK. In the past few years, finasteride has become a popular treatment for this type of hair loss, especially in men. It is also sometimes used to treat pattern hair loss in post-menopausal women. Traditionally this has been in the form of oral tablets, but topical finasteride treatments are increasingly becoming popular. Despite the marketing and social media hype, this treatment is not for everyone as there are many serious risks and side effects. In the UK, finasteride in all its forms is available by prescription only to ensure safe and appropriate use. We review where to get topical and oral finasteride online and in person in the UK for hair loss.
Before we start, it’s really important to stress why finasteride is a prescription only medicine in countries like the UK. Finasteride works by blocking the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This drug was initially discovered as a treatment for enlarged prostates but was later found to help treat hair loss. By reducing DHT levels, finasteride helps to prevent further hair loss and can even promote hair regrowth. There are however some potentially serious side effects including reduced libido, erectile dysfunction and mood changes. Worse still, these may be permanent in some people even after stopping treatment. As such there are strict guides to prescribing it to reduce these risks. In fact oral finasteride is under review by regulators in several countries including the UK and the United States to further explore its safety for this purpose.
Topical finasteride is a version you apply to the scalp rather than swallow as a tablet. It usually comes as a compounded solution, serum, foam or cream, often blended with other actives like minoxidil. Like the oral form, it blocks the enzyme that turns testosterone into DHT, the hormone behind androgenetic hair loss. The difference is that topical finasteride works mainly in the scalp, limiting how much reaches the bloodstream. The aim is to lower the risk of systemic side effects whilst still cutting DHT where it counts. Research on topical finasteride is encouraging. It points to better hair count with lower blood DHT than tablets. That said, the evidence is less extensive than for the oral form. There is no licensed topical finasteride product in the UK. Instead a specialist pharmacy makes it up as an unlicensed compounded ‘special’ on prescription from a doctor or other licensed prescriber.
The two forms share the same active ingredient but differ in how you take them and how they act. Oral finasteride, sold as the brand Propecia, is a once-daily 1 mg tablet. It is licensed in the UK for men with male pattern hair loss and has the strongest evidence behind it. Trials show it reduces hair loss in men. Because a tablet acts throughout the body, it carries a recognised risk of systemic side effects. These include reduced libido, erectile dysfunction and mood changes, which the UK regulator has flagged. For a small number of people these effects may persist after stopping.
Topical finasteride takes a different approach by delivering the drug straight to the scalp. The goal is to keep more of it where it is needed and less of it in the bloodstream. It is not licensed here, so a specialist pharmacy compounds it for each individual patient usually as a solution, serum or foam. The trade-off is that the evidence, whilst promising, is younger and smaller than the decades of data on tablets. For many men the choice comes down to weighing proven results against the wish to limit systemic exposure. This is exactly the kind of decision a prescriber should help you make, not something to settle from an advert.
Finasteride is a prescription-only medication in the UK, meaning you must see a doctor or other medical prescriber to obtain it. Although the NHS may offer drugs like finasteride and Cialis (tadalafil) for urological conditions, it does not usually cover hair loss treatments. As such, most people will need to see a private GP, dermatologist or hair loss specialist. In addition, some high-street pharmacies also have walk-in clinics where you can consult with an on-site doctor or pharmacist prescriber.
After your consultation, if the doctor feels that this is an appropriate treatment for you, they will provide you with a prescription after counselling you of the risks. You can then take the prescription to a pharmacy to buy the medication. This may be either as generic finasteride or a branded version like Propecia. There are also a number of aesthetic and specialist hair loss clinics who may offer topical finasteride hair treatments. These may include a solution or foam containing finasteride (often formulated with other ingredients like minoxidil). Again your prescriber must counsel you about risks and only offer it if they feel it is appropriate and safe for you. In this situation they will send the prescription to a specialist compounding pharmacy who will formulate and deliver the treatment to you or the clinic.
There are several reputable online providers where, if appropriate, you can access finasteride for hair loss treatment in the UK. These telehealth platforms and online UK pharmacies have made it easier than ever to get finasteride treatment following a virtual consultation with a UK licensed doctor or pharmacist. This has not necessarily been all good as it has made space for over-prescribing and the trivialising of finasteride’s risks.
Like in-person clinics, virtual services should do a thorough medical review of your hair loss, physical and mental health. They should also review whether you’re on or have a history of using certain medications such as abilify, accutane, propranolol, prozac (fluoxetine), seroquel (quetiapine) and diflucan. Only a thorough consultation will help determine the safest and best treatment for you. They usually deliver treatments directly to you. These online services often provide discreet packaging to ensure your privacy throughout the process. Treatment fees can vary depending on the platform but these online providers often offer competitive rates compared to traditional in-person clinics. Additionally, some platforms provide ongoing support and medical advice free of charge. Here are some of the most popular online services where adults can get finasteride for hair loss in the UK.
City Skin Clinic is an online clinic providing personalised skin and hair loss treatments for men and women, with a focus on topical rather than oral options. We design custom topical hair serums using ingredients like finasteride, dutasteride, tretinoin, melatonin, caffeine and minoxidil where appropriate and safe. Your doctor selects the best combination, optimal doses and a base suited to your hair and scalp. A specialist compounding pharmacist then prepares each formula individually and delivers it to your door. Unlike most online services, we offer either a video consultation or an online form. You’ll work with the same doctor throughout, who involves you in every decision. They will assess your concerns and goals, design a bespoke plan, monitor your progress and adjust it as needed. You can reach them anytime for support or advice free of charge.
Booking a consultation is simple. You can either schedule a virtual video appointment or complete the online consultation form. After your consultation, if finasteride is suitable, your doctor will prescribe a topical hair loss treatment containing it (and any other ingredients they think will be useful) then provide you with a personalised treatment plan to follow. Each treatment is designed to last 3 months. Your doctor will work closely with you to adjust the formula as needed for the next course based on your progress.
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Hims is an American telehealth platform that focuses on men’s health. They recently made it over to the UK and offer online form consultations with licensed clinicians for hair loss treatments. The clinicians who will review the form are UK registered pharmacist prescribers. Hims offers compounded oral and topical finasteride alongside other hair loss treatments like minoxidil to suitable patients. It is a subscription service that offers monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual packages. The cost of treatment is determined by the subscription and treatments are delivered to your door. Their service includes free ongoing support and access to your clinician at any time.
Boots Online Doctor provides male pattern hair loss treatments including oral finasteride where appropriate. The process involves completing an online consultation which a licensed healthcare professional (these are generally prescribing pharmacists) assesses. They offer finasteride either as generic or branded (Propecia) tablets. They also offer subscriptions for combined finasteride tablets and topical minoxidil treatments. You can have medication delivered to your home or collect from a local Boots pharmacy. They don’t seem to offer any other prescription hair loss treatments apart from oral finasteride.
LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor offers a hair loss treatment service which includes oral finasteride. After completing an online consultation, a qualified healthcare professional (either a doctor or pharmacist) will review your medical details to determine if finasteride is suitable for you. Both branded and generic forms of finasteride are available. You can choose between home delivery or collection from a local LloydsPharmacy store. Apart from oral finasteride, they don’t offer any other prescription hair loss treatments.
Superdrug Online Doctor also offers a hair loss treatment service, including prescriptions for oral finasteride. Like LloydsPharmacy and Boots, you complete an online questionnaire about your health and symptoms. Following that one of their doctors will review your information to assess whether finasteride is suitable for you. Both branded Propecia and generic finasteride tablets are available, and you can choose to have the medication delivered to your home or collect it from a Superdrug store. Beyond oral finasteride, they don’t offer any other prescription hair loss treatments.
Numan is another telehealth platform for men that provides oral finasteride and oral or topical minoxidil as hair loss treatments as part of its subscription plans. You can either complete an online consultation form or book a one-off phone consultation with one of their doctors. For suitable patients, Numan offers finasteride tablets either alone or as part of a package containing minoxidil solution and a non prescription hair growth spray. They deliver treatments to you and ongoing support from their team of clinicians.
Manual also offers oral finasteride and topical minoxidil as their main treatment options for hair loss through their online clinic subscription service. Following a simple online consultation, your medical history is reviewed by a licensed pharmacist prescriber. They will determine which treatment is suitable for you. Treatments are delivered directly to your home on a regular basis unless you stop or pause your subscription. The service provides ongoing medical support from their team allowing you to track your progress and make adjustments to your treatment if needed.
Zava is a telehealth platform that offers online form assessments which their doctors review. They provide generic oral finasteride and Propecia tablets for male pattern hair loss to suitable patients. They will then deliver the products directly to the customer’s home. Aside from this, they don’t offer any other prescription hair loss treatments.
Sons is another online subscription service for men that offers hair loss treatments with minoxidil and finasteride in the UK. After completing an online consultation, a licensed clinician (typically a pharmacist prescriber) will review your information determine the best treatment for you. Sons provides oral minoxidil or finasteride as well as a topical spray that combines finasteride, minoxidil and tretinoin. They also offer combined packages of oral and topical treatments based on your consultation. They deliver treatments directly to your door and ongoing clinical support from their team.
Hair + Me has recently entered the market so we’ve added it to this list. This is an offshoot of Skin + Me who are a telehealth dermatology service that provides prescription skincare treatments. They provide finasteride for hair loss in both capsule and topical form to suitable patients. The active ingredients are chosen following the online form review which is reviewed by their clinicians (mainly prescribing pharmacists or nurses). This is a subscription service offering custom treatments that are delivered to patients.
Finasteride can be an effective treatment for men and some post-menopausal women experiencing pattern hair loss. In the UK, you can access topical and oral finasteride for hair loss through in-person and online clinics. These have grown in number over the last year and there will likely be many more. However, finasteride (with good reason) is a prescription only medicine. It requires thorough medical evaluation to ensure that it is only prescribed for the right patients and used correctly to minimise side effects which can be serious. Patients should also receive counselling regarding its risks. In this post we’ve provided a review of some of the most popular online platforms and pharmacies which provide finasteride for hair loss in the UK. Always ensure you consult with a healthcare professional that offers a wide range of treatments to help you find the best option for your hair loss.
We understand that hair loss is a deeply personal journey. This is why we created personalised custom hair loss treatments for men and women through our online skin clinic. Our doctors create custom topical hair loss treatments using actives such as finasteride, dutasteride, minoxidil, spironolactone and tretinoin where appropriate for each and every patient. Choose your virtual consultation and begin your journey to great hair today.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified medical provider for any health concerns or questions you might have.
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