Does creatine cause hair loss?
This is what the studies found, where the uncertainty remains and what to do if your hair is changing.
Where the concern started
Much of the discussion traces back to a 2009 study of college-aged rugby players. It compared creatine with a placebo over three weeks. The researchers measured testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, usually shortened to DHT.
DHT increased during the creatine phase. Because DHT is involved in male pattern hair loss, that finding raised a reasonable question about hair. But the study did not count hairs, measure density or record whether the players developed thinning.
A change in a blood hormone is not the same finding as a change in someone's hair. The study did not demonstrate that creatine made the players lose hair.
What the 2025 trial found
A randomised trial published in April 2025 by Lak and colleagues looked at hair outcomes directly. It recruited 45 men aged 18 to 40 who already did resistance training. Thirty-eight completed the study, with one participant missing the final hair assessment.
The men received either 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day or a placebo for 12 weeks. They continued their usual diets and training. Dermatologists assessed measures including hair density, follicular units and hair thickness, while blood tests measured DHT and testosterone.
The researchers found no statistically significant difference between the groups in DHT or the measured hair outcomes. That is reassuring evidence against the claim that this amount of creatine caused hair loss over the period studied.
The newer trial adds evidence that the older hormone study could not provide: direct measurements of hair over time.
What we still do not know
Twelve weeks is a short period compared with years of supplement use. The trial was small, included men only and used one daily amount. It cannot tell us what would happen with every product, higher doses or long-term use in every group of people.
It also excluded people with previous hair transplantation and people who had used treatments such as finasteride or minoxidil. The results therefore do not establish a specific rule for taking creatine during transplant recovery.
Current evidence has not established a causal link between creatine and hair loss. New or progressive hair loss still needs its own assessment, even if it begins around the time you start a supplement.
If you notice shedding after starting creatine
Write down when you started the supplement and when you first noticed the change. Keep the product label and note any other medicines or supplements you take. The timing is useful information for an appointment, but it cannot identify the cause by itself.
Hair loss can have several explanations. The NHS lists illness, stress, weight loss and iron deficiency among causes of temporary loss, while pattern hair loss often runs in families. A change in training or diet may coincide with other changes in your health.
Notice what is actually changing: more shedding across the scalp, a gradually receding hairline, reduced crown coverage or a distinct patch. Our guide to hair loss causes in men explains why those patterns lead to different discussions.
If the loss worries you, speak with your GP. A recent supplement change should be part of that conversation, along with any scalp symptoms or wider changes in your health. There is no need to diagnose the problem from online photographs or a single hormone result.
Does creatine change your treatment options?
Taking a gym supplement does not, by itself, establish why your hair is thinning or which treatment fits. The starting point is the diagnosis. Temporary shedding and progressive pattern loss should not be treated as interchangeable problems.
If you are considering surgery, the discussion also needs to cover your existing hair, likely future loss and available donor hair. A graft estimate cannot answer those questions on its own.
At Manchester Hair Transplant Clinic, Dr Harpreet Kalra assesses hair-loss patterns and donor-area suitability as part of treatment planning. You can discuss whether monitoring, medical assessment or a procedure such as FUE hair transplantation is relevant to your circumstances.
If you already have surgery booked, give your surgical team the full supplement list and follow their instructions. The creatine trial was not a study of recovery after a hair transplant.
Preparing for an appointment
Bring older photographs showing your hairline and crown, the names of products you use, and a note of when the loss started. Photographs taken in similar lighting can make it easier to explain a change than relying on memory.
Ask what pattern of loss is visible, whether anything else needs investigating and how progress should be assessed. If treatment is discussed, ask what it is intended to do and when it should be reviewed. You can read our consultation preparation guide before attending.
Manchester Hair Transplant Clinic is at 82 King Street, Manchester, M2 4WQ. Confirm the location of your consultation, surgery and follow-up before arranging travel.
Request a consultationQuestions and answers
Did the 2009 study show that creatine caused baldness?
No. It measured hormone changes in rugby players, rather than hair loss. The DHT finding raised a question for further research; it did not establish that participants lost hair because they took creatine.
Does the 2025 trial settle the question for everyone?
No. It found no significant difference in the measured hair outcomes over 12 weeks, but it was a small study in men using one daily amount. It cannot establish the effects of years of use, every dose or use in women.
Can I keep taking creatine around a hair transplant?
Ask your surgical team and give them your full supplement list. The trial excluded people with previous hair transplantation, so its findings do not provide instructions for taking creatine during surgical recovery.
Dr Harpreet Kalra
Hair transplant surgeon and practising GP · GMC 7126076
Dr Kalra assesses hair loss, examines donor hair and plans treatment around each patient’s pattern of thinning.
Related hair loss advice
Hair loss causes in men
Understand common patterns of thinning and when to speak to your GP about a change.
Stress-related hair loss
How shedding can follow illness or stress, and what assessment and recovery may involve.
Early signs of hair loss
What to look for in your hairline, parting and photographs, and how to record changes.
Speak with the Manchester clinic
Manchester Hair Transplant Clinic is at 82 King Street, Manchester, M2 4WQ. Arrange a consultation or call 0161 410 0113. Confirm your appointment location before travelling.
