Hair loss. Does topical Finasteride work? Is shedding normal?

Topical Finesteride is not as effective as oral Finesteride.  Shedding of your hair is difficult to predict but it is likely a temporary side effect of the Finesteride.  Have you considered PRP and/or follicular unit hair transplantation for the areas where your hairline has receded?

This needs an in-person evaluation. I suggest seeing a hair loss expert now to evaluate and go over your condition and provide you information about your best treatment options. There are great non-invasive options like prp/progesterone and/or hair transplantation. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

 Topical finasteride comes in concentrations of 0.1 and 0.25%. It's approximately 50% as effective as taking 1 mg of finasteride. There can be an initial shed, although this is usually significantly less than the possibility with minoxidil. If you are using both, it's probably the minoxidil that's leading to the shed of Telogen hairs.
Jeff Rapaport MD FAAD
Realself Verified All-star

There are many ways that topical finasteride can be made up. So one should never think there is one kind of topical finasteride. But does it work? For some males, yes, absolutely. One also needs to consider the concentration of the finasteride that gets put into it. It ranges a great great deal. Shedding can occur with any treatment for male balding that actually works. 

There are few different compound formulations. They are not Over-the-Counter drugs which can be purchased without a prescription. Only few pharmacies in Italy are able to make it. The most common is the Finasteride Liposomal Gel. The liposomal vehicle has a high penetration capacity through the epidermis and it’s able to keep the drug locally in the skin for long time. It has a good aesthetic outcome and it doesn’t make the hair greasy. I have not seen hair loss caused by this compound