Keith Kaufman of Merck, senior director of clinical research in endocrinology and metabolism, presented 2 year study data on Propecia at the 1998 American Academy of Dermatology Conference. Dr. Kaufman showed slides detailing two year frontal (mid-anterior scalp, an area about 1 inch behind a normal hairline) results, including photographs of patients. Hair counts were shown to improve from around 10-11 additional hairs per centimeter after one year to around 11-12 hairs per centimeter after two years, so results were maintained with slight improvement. Patients on placebo showed a sharp decrease in hairs in the first year. I am awaiting confirmation of exact numbers (a line graph was presented), but the decrease after one year was about 5 hairs per centimeter. After the first year, patients were placed on Propecia and showed an overall 8 hair increase per centimeter by the end of the second year, for a total of 3 hairs above baseline. The following table shows improvements judged by photographic analysis:
| Moderate Improvement | Slight Improvement | No Visible Hair loss | Slight Decrease | |
| Propecia – 1 Year | 4% | 34% | 62% | 1% |
| Placebo – 1 Year | 0% | 7% | 85% | 7% |
| Propecia – 2 Year | 4% | 38% | 53% | 5% |
No patients in either group re-rated as greatly improved.
