I was wondering if weightlifting causes hair to fall out. I am a 33 year old
mail with a full head of hair. I go through a period of shedding after I
work out for a few months. Once I stop working out and stop taking creatineand protein, a few weeks after, the shedding stops. All year I’m fine until I start working out again. After three or four months I notice some
shedding again. The strange part is that it happened around the same time
of year last year, July – September.I’m not sure if weightlifting is causing my hair loss or high protein intake or creatine. I do not take creatine or protein during the year when I am not lifting. The only problem is that I hear people say that weightlifting doesn’t cause hair loss because it doesn’t raise t-levels enough to do so.
Thank you for your help. Dan
Dan, You ask a good question. But I don’t have a clear answer. If the creatine combined with the protein alters your hormone levels then perhaps it could be a factor in your hair loss.
I did do a search on our hair restoration discussion forum and I found an interesting post about the possible effects of weightlifting on hair loss. In short this person makes the case that the effects of strenuous lifting could increase DHT levels.
Comment by poster:
“Lifting weight in itself doesn’t increase hair loss. No kidding. However, resistance training causes muscle tissue to break down. That muscle tissue has to be repaired, right? The body synthesizes dietary protein into amino acids and building blocks (other proteins) that result in muscle cell regeneration and growth.
Okay, you know what triggers that protein synthesis? Ahh yes, it’s our good ole friend the happy hormone testosterone. And it becomes a supply and demand thing. If I have a lot of muscle to repair because I’m doing resistance training, then the body responds by pumping out more testosterone.
But where in all this does the body say: “Okay, I need more testosterone to rebuild damaged tissue, but in the mean time, is okay to curtail testosterone to DHT conversion?” DOESN’T work that way. Unless you have a genetic resistance.
To say generically “lifting weights absolutely cannot lead to more rapid hair loss” is a false statement. It can for the reasons I’ve stated.
If you’ve got “super hair” that’s genetically resistant to falling out, then your statement is correct. If not, then exercising MIGHT in fact speed up hair loss because of increased DHT levels in the blood stream (which triggers hairloss in some men, like us).
Hope that clears this up.”
To read the whole discussion topic please click here.
Best wishes for restoring your real hair.
Pat, publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center
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Ok I am a 49 yo female, been active in sports and exercise my whole life. Every time I add weight lifting to my routine I start losing hair and a lot of it! Last July I started losing so much I ended up with half of my hair left. I stopped lifting and running and it stopped shedding and is growing in nicely again. 3 weeks ago I wanted to get in shape for a beach vaca so started lifting and guess what??? Hair falling out again! Its for sure the hormonal DHT or the blood flow as mentioned by many in this post. I did have extensive Dr. testing in August because I though something was really wrong and they couldn’t come up with anything. Follow your gut instinct!
Thanks for posting great post
hi friends.....dont wory...just workout...healthy hair needs a healthy body to sustain
if you get into the root of the hair loss...it is the lack of blood circulation to the hair follicle...all the factors of hair loss including the DHT cause only one thing, blocking the blood circulation to the hair follicle, therefore no nutrients to the hair follicle...so how can a follicle live without a good diet...
talking about gyming you shold try to do the exercise in such a way that it increases the blood flow to your scalp...and you should keep a comb with you always, combing time to time during exercise too...try not to tighten your face and scalp during exercising for that you need a little concentration and meditation...
and make combing your habbit around 100 strokes a day...always have a good protein diet...and surely a multivitamin tablet too and please dont forget to have enough 3 to 4 litres of water every day...
remember only blood circulation to the scalp and good diet can reverse or stop the balding process...
and guys beleive me i have reversed it :)
remember dnt wory, good diet, enough water, tension free life, optimistic attitude, exercising your scalp for blood...and dnt over exercise just remember exercise to keep your body fit...
try it you will enjoy...as i doo...now i have a healthy scalp and a healthy body,.. i go to the gym specially to increase the blood circulation or to cure my baldnesss...i had my hair shedding since last 10 years...but after doing all this,,, believe me i have very less shedding now only if i have bad food, do smoking or dont folly a helthy sleeping and daily routine, and if i take futil tensions...
so happy gyming guys...try it...good luck :)
From what I read, people who exercise, especially doing weight training, their body need proteins to build the muscles. Now, hair is 97% made of protein, so when u dont consume enough protein, your hair will become dry, brittle, and easily fall. what's worse is if you have hair loss gene in the family. Whey is high in protein content and should help provide enougn protein for your body. So that's why ppl who consume whey while exercising gets to keep their healthy hair :) but this might not work with those who have the gene problem
dt,
As I have already mentioned above, there is no documented proof that these activities directly cause or influence male pattern balding.
Androgenic alopecia (genetic balding) can appear at any time. It may be coincidental that your thinning hair has coincided with your new fitness routine.
I recommend consulting with a dermatologist. You may benefit from using Rogaine (minoxidil) and or Propecia
David
are you guys serious...?!?!
Could it actually be that the gym is causing me to go bald?!?!!?
well, im 20 years old. I didn't have any bald spots of ANY thinning at all before i started working out.
I started this year as a new years resolution to work out and sure enough, i noticed that I was thinning. I was attempting to grow an afro as I was already growing one prior to this year and bam!! I felt my hair today and noticed that there was a big dent smack dab where my crown in. I got my iphone out and went to the mirror in my bathroom immediately.
Sure enough it was a bald spot, or at least a spot on its way to becoming bald. Think about it like this, i have 3 inches everywhere else on my head and .5 inches there. I can certainly see my scalp. I did a measurement myself as I didn't want to get my sister to do it as "balding up" isn't a good feeling.
I started working out to look good, and now I gotta deal with baldness? I'm 20 years old.. damn..
What should I do?!?! I want to work out but I sure as hell don't wanna go bald while doing it. Any way to keep the hair on my head?
Iam 33 and completely agree with the above statement. I first lifted weights when i was 18 for 6 months and my hair reduce almost 1/3rd. My hair didn't grew back but was stable until i again started lifting weights when i was 27, my hair started falling like hell and i was almost half way bald. By now i was pretty sure that weight lifting was the root cause. Just 6 months back i gain wnet to the gym for 2 months and lost more hair, you can say iam almost bald now. What more evidence is required that i only loose hair when i lift weights.
But that doesn't mean all of the will loose hair who do weight training. I guess if its in your genes or if you have stressful life then it increases your DHT level with increase in testosterone level for muscle repair. In other words your testosterone gets converted into DHT unlike other lucky males who can carry a full head of crop with bulging biceps. No wonder why girls get attracted to men with muscles and good hair, as we are DHT infected.
Lee,
Most information about weight lifting supplements and hair loss is anecdotal at best. However, it's always a good idea to review any new supplements with a personal physician before beginning a new regimen.
Blake (Future_HT_Doc)
Editorial Assistant
Hi everybody,
I would like to share my experiences with hair loss and heavy lifting exercises.
I am 30 years old, and have been working out since I was 18. Even during my busiest times I hit to gym at least 3 days a week, and regularly 5-6 times a week. I do cardio, heavy weight lifting, and some toning depending on the season.
My father and uncles have full set of hair. My mother's father is a bald man though, he has been bald since his mid 30s.
I personally do not believe that weight lifting causes hair loss. However, the supplements can be very damaging for your hair. I used creatine when I was 22 (for almost 6 months), and witnessed an incredible shedding. Then I stopped using creatine, and my hair recovered in couple of months. For me, the use of whey protein (isolate+concentrate) does not cause any hair loss, furthermore makes my hair thicker and shinier. Interestingly, amino complex pills cause hair loss, so I also don't use them at all.
So, for me, the magical formula is intensive training and whey protein. With this combo, I feel great and my hair is healthy.
Sean M ..any update after u stopped taking supplements? ..did ur hair start to grow again/strenghten?? ..
Hello all, I have been reading over your posts and having a little giggle to myself. There are so many myths that people just make up over time as to what causes hair loss. It is genetics. There is a chemical called DHT that is associated with higher levels of testosterone. Not like one man has more than another but like you have more than you did before maturity. If you have the gene for male pattern baldness when your body starts is mostly genetic, but can be increased by stress. No not the stress of excercising,but like worrying type stress. If you are going bald it has nothing to do with weight lifting unless you are stressing about it so much that it keeps you up at night and gives you a stomache ache.