Not every athlete has the robust California locks of Tom Brady. In fact, many athletes have no hair at all — perhaps more so than everyday men. So what is it exactly that makes athletes lose their hair, aside from the stress of bad referee calls? The answer comes down to hormones and a particular hormone athletes have more of than 9-5 workers.
It’s no secret that athletes live a testosterone-fueled life. The physical activity and competition that go into being a professional athlete require the body to be producing testosterone around the clock. But as much as testosterone can benefit athletes on the field or court, it can hurt their appearance by destroying their hair follicles.
Testosterone is produced by the testes and the adrenal glands and it is converted into dihydrotestosterone popularly known as DHT by an enzyme called 5 alpha reductase in the peripheral tissues. DHT is the hair-killing hormone for men who inherit the male pattern baldness gene, as their follicles are extremely sensitive to the hormone. So ample testosterone can also mean ample hair loss for athletes with the male-pattern baldness gene.
Obviously, most men do not want to lower their own testosterone, just to save hair follicles. Lower testosterone means lower energy, and saving hair is hardly an even trade off for that. So is there a way to have both high testosterone and a full head of hair? The answer is yes.
In 2015, hair restoration technology is far beyond where it was 20, 15, and even 5 years ago. The number of hair restoration options for men with high testosterone is higher than ever, with everything from surgical to non-surgical options available for patients.
If you want to find out more about these options, schedule a free consultation with New England Center for Hair Restoration. We will go over every option with you in depth, including prescriptions available, micro follicular unit extraction, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells. Call us now at 855-5-NEHAIR to immediately start your hair restoration journey.