Testosterone-Fuelled Traders Risk Hairline in Search for Profit

During the 1980s, Wall Street had a reputation for excess in all areas, not least the illicit use of cocaine to fuel the macho working culture. Thirty years later, drive, determination and competition remain just as important in the male-dominated money markets but cocaine has been replaced by testosterone.

Doctors in New York have reported a rise in requests from clients for testosterone replacement therapy, ostensibly under the need to combat hormonal deficiencies which arise during the “male menopause”, also known as the andropause. These physicians , suspect that many of their patients are looking to gain a chemical ‘edge’ over their colleagues and competitors. However these traders could be storing up problems for their future health, including the chances of developing Male Pattern Baldness.

Male Pattern Baldness is exacerbated by testosterone

Male Pattern Baldness, or Androgenic Alopecia to give the condition its proper name, is caused by testosterone being broken down into a secondary compound called dihydrotestosterone. This new chemical, known as an androgen, attacks the hair follicles in the scalp and inhibits the growth of new hair cells. Without new cells growing to replace older ones, hair falls out causing a receding hairline or thinning crown, and eventual baldness.

Traders taking unnecessary testosterone replacement therapy have a higher level of the hormone in their bloodstream, which, when metabolised, creates an even higher level of dihydrotestorone (DHT). This places even more follicles at risk of attack. Although men using testosterone to improve their performance may feel better about themselves, they risk their hairline in doing so.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, a venture capitalist known only as ‘John’ commented on his use of testosterone saying, “Wall Street is a play hard, work hard environment. I now have a bit more of an alpha male personality, and I’m able to get by on less sleep. It's the positive side of aggression. You change your mentality and start looking positively at the future.”

Drugs, hormones and stress can all cause hair loss

Men working in the banking sector are at particular risk of hair loss through lifestyle choices or the pressures of the job. The use of cocaine as a stimulant in the 1980s placed many men under increased risk of hair loss through a condition known as Telogen Effluvium which causes hair follicles to enter a ‘resting’ state which prevents hair from growing. Cocaine users can also fall victim to another hair loss condition known as Diffuse Thinning caused by malnutrition. Fortunately much of the hair loss caused by using recreational drugs reverses naturally once the person ceases their intake of stimulants.

Work-related stress is another potential trigger for Telogen Effluvium. The pressures of dealing with large volumes of money in addition to playing corporate politics in a highly competitive marketplace all have the potential to place a trader under significant pressure. Should that period of emotional strain be sufficiently taxing, the individual involved could experience the patchy hair loss caused by Telogen Effluvium.

Treating testosterone-related hair loss

For men using testosterone as a stimulant, the first step in combating hair loss is to cease the replacement therapy as soon as possible. Following a diagnosis by a qualified doctor or hair loss expert, men should begin a course of treatment designed to encourage re-stimulation of the hair follicles using one of a number of clinically approved medications and hair growth boosters.

The Belgravia Centre has a proven track record of hair growth success in men and women, stockbrokers or otherwise. You can see what our clients think of our service and results by reading our hair loss success stories, inclusive of comments written in our comments book or Facebook page, and their 'before and during treatment' photo-scans.

To find out how The Belgravia Centre can help correct your particular hair loss condition, contact us to arrange a complimentary, no obligation appointment at our London Victoria clinic. Alternatively if you cannot make it to the clinic, simply complete our online diagnostic form to obtain a personalised treatment plan that can be sent to you wherever you are in the world.

Interesting articles