How likely is it that I will experience breast enlargement (or other
negative side effects) if I take propecia, and is it permanent if it
occurs?  I already know this is listed as a possible side effect, in
published information including the Propecia website (referred to
there as "brest enlargement/tenderness").  I had surgery for
gynocomastia years ago and do not want this problem to occur again,
especially if it would not return to normal after stopping use of
Propecia.  I mention this in case this has an impact on that chances
of it occurring.

Are there any alternatives (drug or otherwise, established or
potential) to Propecia, which may have the same benefits but with
reduced or no potential for gynocomastia and/or any of the other
negative side effects of Propecia?  

Along this same line, what is currently considered the "best" hair
loss treatment(s) in the world?

Is it advisable to try using Rogaine before resorting to Propecia, and
what is the average difference in success rates between the two?

And lastly, in general with hair-loss treatments, is it considered
"worse" to begin a treatment, and then stop it later on (due to lack
of discipline, money, time, whatever), than it is to simply wait until
the condition is worse to start the treatment?

Hi, the chances of you getting gynecomastia again with propecia use
are very likely. The steroid hormones in our body (estrogen,
testosterone, DHT, etc.) are potent and carefully balanced. The best
way to start growing hair on the scalp is to decrease DHT  (which is
much more potent than testosterone) and thus "the balance" of all
these hormones turns more towards estrogen, causing gynecomastia,
impotence, etc. This is what propecia does. Rogaine, on the other
hand, is less well understood. It signals several types of cell
signaling molecules, which inhibits apoptosis (programmed cell death)
of hair follicles. (It may also dilate vessels to increase blood flow
to the follicles, but since lack of blood flow is not really what
causes the problem, this probably isn't too important). Anyway, it
will not cause gynecomastia, so it's probably your best bet, in which
case it should be started asap, since it more inhibits continued loss
of hair, and only indirectly helps growth of new hair. For baldness,
it's better to start now than later, even if you temporarily stop
treatment. Another option is hair implantation. I don't know too much
about that though.

PS-- sorry for not giving tons of documentation; I'm not a google
researcher, so I don't bother with that. Besides, it's not like just
because it's on the internet it's true. I by far trust my textbooks
more than internet documentation.