Fat Burners Constrict Blood Vessels — Would That Lead to Hair Loss?

Hey Doc Rassman, great site. I’ve been hooked onto it since I started losing some hair myself- and of course, the fact that you’re called one of the pioneers of hair surgery just increases the blogs credibility.

I’m an 18 year old male, and I’m a serious teen bodybuilder. I’ve been competing, and recently, I’ve started using a fat burner (Nutrex Lipo 6) which contains a lot of caffeine, synephrine, yohimbe and some other stuff to get into my final competition stage. Now regardless of these ingredients, what concerns me is that all fat burners constrict blood vessels to increase blood pressure, and in turn increase metabolism to burn calories faster. That’s alright, fine with me. But it’s the hair loss I’ve been experiencing since I’ve started using this product that’s causing concern!

Just taking a shot in the air, would you say that the fat burner is causing poor blood circulation due to the high BP (a case associated with cigarettes too as I’ve read), and in turn causing this balding? Would this then mean that people with high blood pressure (something I have a family history of) have poorer quality of hair?What are your views,doc?

I can’t really comment on a specific fat burner as the cause your hair loss. Many medications report hair loss as a side effect, so even this ‘substance’ may have similar side effects. If you have hair loss it is most likely related to genetic male pattern baldness (MPB), otherwise known as androgenic alopecia (AGA)… particularly in a young man of your age. You may consider an examination by a doctor and possibly starting finasteride as a treatment option.

With regard to any connection between blood supply as a cause of hair loss, it is not ABSOLUTELY the cause of hair loss. The fat burner you are talking about can not possibly reduce the blood supply by constricting scalp blood vessels. There is also no connection between high blood pressure and hair loss either.