Take any guy at the gym aside and bring up creatine hair loss in conversation, and you will likely receive very strong feelings, both for and against. Some athletes and gym-goers are convinced creatine destroyed their hairlines, and many others say that taking creatine did absolutely nothing to shed even a single strand.
What Is Creatine and Why Do People Take It?
Let’s set it out. First up, creatine is one of the most studied and consumed sports supplements on the planet. The supplement naturally exists in your body as well as red meat and fish, and when ingested orally, speeds up the process your muscles have to produce energy during bursts of exercise.
Which makes it incredibly beneficial for athletes competing in heavy lifting, sprinting, and basically most sports imaginable. Studies upon studies show that creatine is harmless, and can boost your muscle strength. However, the dreaded hair loss aspect still continues to hang around.
The Study That Started Everything
So the creatine hair loss problem can be explained by only a single study. A group of university age rugby players in South Africa started taking a loading dose of creatine supplements for three weeks. The scientists collected data on how this changed their blood levels of a hormone known as DHT.
Their findings indicated a 56 percent increase in blood levels of DHT during the loading phase of creatine and an average of 40 percent increase overall from the beginning.
Since this increases the levels of DHT it may explain some of the potential connection between creatine and hair loss, because it’s DHT believed to cause urogenetic alopecia, the typical pattern hair loss that is prevalent in males and females.
But Here Is the Important Part
To start, the study that claims this has never been successfully replicated. Since 2009, no scientific paper has replicated the rise in DHT by using creatine. This original study also used a small group of test subjects, measured DHT levels (not the rate of hair loss) and required a strict loading phase.
People who are just popping a few grams are more than likely not following these parameters.
Simply put: creatine raising DHT levels is a possibility, but creatine causing hair loss in humans has never been shown. However, what the science DOES agree on is: if you’re someone predisposed to pattern hair loss in your DNA – ie, your father is going bald – then any increase in DHT-creatine included – might help accelerate hair loss. It’s not a promise, but it’s an important factor to be aware of.
So Should You Stop Taking Creatine?
Not necessarily. You might be in the clear if there’s no history of hair loss for yourself or in your family. So far, the available research hasn’t provided enough evidence to suggest you shouldn’t take creatine if your primary goal is enhancing athletic performance, and in this regard, creatine’s positive impacts are well established and substantial.
What If the Damage Is Already Done?
When creatine has caused a discernible change in your hair volume and thickness, your first move must be a professional consultation of your scalp, with a specialist like a dermatologist or trichologist. This will confirm that your follicles have not reached the stage of miniaturisation or atrophied completely. A course of hair regrowth solutions in India may be customised to you; with treatment modalities like topical applications, a course of DHT blockers or PRP sessions or a mix.
If your hair follicles are alive, then you will have reasonable expectations from the hair growth process; even when there has been an increase in the volume of loss.
Those who wish for non- surgical treatments for the increase in hair growth rate might like the PRP, or Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy for activating the sleeping follicles of your scalp. When a city of Delhi calls you, one should ensure what will be the hair PRP cost in Delhi before you choose your provider; generally, you would expect between Indian Rupees 3,000 and 8,000 Indian Rupees per sitting.
When Hair Transplant Becomes the Right Conversation?
For more extensive loss – due to genetics, DHT sensitivity, or both – the only permanent and truly natural solution is hair transplant surgery. FUE(Follicular Unit Extraction)is the most commonly used method nowadays. It is scarless, less time-consuming, and, performed by a good surgeon, completely unnoticeable.
Choosing the best hair transplant in Delhi goes beyond a reasonable rate – it requires inquiring about surgeon qualifications, the clinic’s technology, previous patient outcomes and how comprehensive your initial scalp evaluation is.
You should always opt for the most fitting hair regrowth solution in India, rather than one recommended due to costliness – it will not be about making you buy a hair transplant for sure; you will be informed about the pros and cons of medication, PRP, surgery, and even simple lifestyle changes.
Conclusion
The creatine hair loss link is certainly serious enough for a mention, but not the type of serious that’ll make you break out in cold sweats. A single study had a good point. Beyond that, not much else is solid.
But it’s understood that those that have an in-born tendency to get patter baldness may want to think twice about any agent that increases the amount of DHT in the body – and creatine just may be one of them.
Don’t play it casual, don’t overlook any alterations in hair thickness and do try to take care of the issue with an eye for intervention before waiting until it gets a little late. Get the opinion of experts and make an assessment based on your personal biological makeup, not what the guy in the squat rack is spouting.