It is a side effect that doesn't appear in the labelling and packaging of Propecia and one that your doctor is unlikely to warn you about but Propecia can actuallycost you your career. In a recent case Mark Nielsen from New Zealand is now unable to play tennis professionally for two years and all because he used Propecia to cover up his thinning hair. At the age of 29 it may mean that he'd better just retire and find something else to do.

Propecia's active ingredient finasteride as well as being a DHT blocker also is a very efficient masking agent for other drugs. This means that if you take Propecia, other drugs in your bloodstream that may or may not be forbidden to professional sportsmen by the drug testing authorities may be hidden and will not show up in testing.

Nielsen was tested at the Australian Open at the beginning of 2006 and was found to be positive to the finasteride. He is at present ranked 413th worldwide and is the highest ranked player in New Zealand. Whe he appeared before the tribunal he explained that he was using the Propecia to stop his hair line receding and this was accepted by them but this did not mean that they could free him from the ban.

The tribunal stressed the importance of all sportsmen being responsible for all the drugs that they took and checking with the relevant authorities before any drug use no matter how trivial they might seem. Mr Nielsen is not the first player to be banned for using Propecia and it is becoming inconcievable that professional tennis players are not aware of the dangers to their careers of using Propecia.

Propecia is only available with a prescription and is a men only hair loss remedy. Propecia is taken in the form of a small tablet daily and prevents the formation of DHT in the scalp that kills hair follicles. Propecia is used by millions of men worldwide and is considered to be one of the most effective hair loss remedies for men by trichologists and hair and scalp professionals.