• Is President Donald Trump’s hair real?

    The answer is yes – at least according to his doctor. In a New York Times interview in February of 2017, Trump’s personal physician Dr. Harold Bornstein confirmed that Mr. Trump has ‘all of his hair’. Bornstein also disclosed that Mr. Trump takes finasteride. Finasteride is a drug that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration both to treat hair loss and enlarged prostate glands. The article suggests that Mr. Trump takes a low does which is used to treat hair loss. Dr. Bornstein did not say how long Mr. Trump had taken the medication.

    Finasteride for Hair Loss

    Finasteride blocks the enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. 5-alpha reductase normally breaks down testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT has several affects in the body including causing androgenic alopecia and enlarging the prostate. Consequently androgenic alopecia does not progress with decreased levels of DHT. As with currently approved treatments for hair loss, the goal is to slow or stop the progression of loss. In cases of recent loss, the loss can be reversed with finasteride. The low dose of finasteride for hair loss is marketed as Propecia while the high dose for prostate enlargement is marketed as Proscar.

    Side effects of finasteride

    Like any drug, there are side effects of finasteride. The most troubling and therefore undesireable side effect is decreased libido and impotence. The risk is small. The side effects are temporary and reverse when the medication is stopped. On the positive side, finasteride has not been shown to cause cancer. In some studies, there is a suggestion that finasteride can protect against prostate cancer.

    Stopping finasteride

    For as long as you or Mr. Trump like your hair, you are stuck taking finasteride. Once the medication is stopped, hair will start to fall out. In most cases, the hair loss will have a catch up period with accelerated loss immediately after a person stops the drug.

    So is President Donald Trump’s hair real? His physician says so, and I agree.

    To learn more about finasteride and other treatments for hair loss, visit DFW hair transplant expert Dr. D.J. Verret, today!