Cyclists and receding hairlines

[yespatterns]

There seem to be an uncommon amount. I put this post here just because certain doping choices can produce it. So what is it, genetics, helmets, doping, lowered test from long 'slow' endurance training, or something else? Just curious on your opinions.

 

[SeriousSam]

Is it really an uncommon amount? We might want to establish this before speculating on whether it's due to certain PEDs.

 

[Parker]

They're men. Some of them are going to lose their hair.

Is there an uncommon amount? I doubt the amount of receding hairlines are any more than the general population.

 

[SundayRider]

No relevance whatsoever! There is plenty of footballers (and just about any sport you care to name!) who have the same and a good proportion of the general population who are inactive.

 

[SundayRider]

If your going to lose it your going to lose it. Look at Tyler Hamilton - he took a fair amount of T and Cortisone etc, he has huge amounts of hair. I think you would need to be taking steroids at bodybuilder level to lose hair dramatically.

 

[yespatterns]

Easy, easy. I'm not trolling but a lot of the top GCers seem to have receding hairlines. I'm not mocking ayone for having a receding hairline. I've had a widows peak since kindergarten, so believe me I'm just curious more about correlation than making fun of anyone.

 

[kingjr]

Maybe a look at the parents of those riders would be helpful.

 

[Briant_Gumble]

Jay Cutler still has his hair and he's used steroids in absolutely massive quantities

I do think it's more common amongst footballers and cyclists though, don't know why exactly.

I think certain factors can accelerate it but genetics are a factor and some people never lose it.

 

[hrotha]

Until someone produces a proper statistical study, this will always be pointless and silly.

 

[yespatterns]

Honestly, I think it's more the training induced lower testosterone or helmets, just figured I'd put it here to have an (clinically) open discussion. No biggie.

 

[Le breton]

Maybe a look at the parents of those riders would be helpful.

It's probably better to look at the grandparents though.

 

[Le breton]

Honestly, I think it's more the training induced lower testosterone or helmets, just figured I'd put it here to have an (clinically) open discussion. No biggie.

Is it not linked to a high natural testosterone level?

 

[SeriousSam]

I thought so too (high test, more likely to go bald).

And what's this about exercise induced lower t? Is that real?

 

[panyagua]

Is it not linked to a high natural testosterone level?

Close enough. Test is the pro-drug for DHT, and DHT in the scalp has a correlation to typical male baldness.

 

[grinchpipe]

Honestly, I think it's more the training induced lower testosterone or helmets, just figured I'd put it here to have an (clinically) open discussion. No biggie.

Nah, it's one of those thinking out loud musings I have from time to time, actually don't think it's Ped related or helmet related, unless you're pulling your fringe hair back too tight and not washing or conditioning it right afterwards. That causes receding but the fathers tend to be the same, often see a similar disparity in very high-graft jobs, lot of guys have it, then there's the odd one who's got a load. Maybe pointless I agree but just an observation, look at Wazza!

 

[grinchpipe]

Then again, just thought, how many aliens have you seen with hair? Chewbacca's w/kg would be way too low..

 

[Elegant Degenerate]

doesn't baldness come from the mother's side (genetically speaking)? So looking at parents won't be useful?

Or is that something apocryphal that i've picked up as fact along the way?

edit : from wiki

"It was previously believed that baldness was inherited from the maternal grandfather. While there is some basis for this belief, both parents contribute to their offspring's likelihood of hair loss. Most likely, inheritance involves many genes with variable penetrance."

it also says baldness can be caused by syphilis. so let's not rule that out.

 

[Helvellyn]

Maybe a look at the parents of those riders would be helpful.

I've been losing my hair since my late 20s, but my father has a full head of hair at age 65. I hear it's one's grandfather on the mother's side that is relevant and in my case that works out as pictures of him in his 30s show he has no hair on top.

 

[Hawkwood]

...I hear it's one's grandfather on the mother's side that is relevant and in my case that works out as pictures of him in his 30s show he has no hair on top.

That explains it. My dad lost most of his by 45, which has always worried me, however I've still got most of mine by 54, and my mother's father did keep most of his into his 70s.

 

[Cookster15]

There's probably not much to this. But I do recall Bjarne Riis seemed just as old in 1993 riding against Indurain and Rominger as he does today. But then again hair loss was more obvious in those days as they didn't wear helmets.

 

[blackcat]

There seem to be an uncommon amount. I put this post here just because certain doping choices can produce it. So what is it, genetics, helmets, doping, lowered test from long 'slow' endurance training, or something else? Just curious on your opinions.

two things.

overactive alpha reductase hormone and respondent cells

natural hairline recession when your head grows like Levi, makes the receding hairline that is natural look greater than it really is

 

[Netserk]

Piti's transplantations are NOT NORMAL.

 

[Kotar_Rhakoz]

Easy, easy. I'm not trolling but a lot of the top GCers seem to have receding hairlines. I'm not mocking ayone for having a receding hairline. I've had a widows peak since kindergarten, so believe me I'm just curious more about correlation than making fun of anyone.

A widows peak has nothing to do with baldness. It is just the way your hair grows across the front of the head. Some people (male and female) have it, some do not.

 

[Kotar_Rhakoz]

My father still has a full head of hair in his 60s but one of his brothers, my uncle, started losing his in his early 20s.

 

[simoni]

Until we can 1/ define what a "receding hairline" is and 2/ show that a greater than expected number of cyclists have one and 3/ positively link this to PEDs then the whole conversation, whilst interesting and informative to someone who has baldness on all sides of the family in every generation above mine, is pretty pointless!