Rafael Nadal claimed his fourth US Open title over the weekend.
It was his 19th Grand Slam title, placing him only one behind Roger Federer in the overall standings.
The 33-year-old has been suffering from male pattern baldness for several years and combated the problem with a FUE (follicular unt extraction) hair transplant at a clinic in Spain three years ago.
Hair loss is a continual process and Nadal has continued losing his hair, albeit at a slower rate than in his 20s when he had a significantly thinner covering right across the top of his scalp.
Nadal shared a picture with his great friend, golfer Tiger Woods, at the US Open – you can see them both together in New York below.
Tiger is another sporting great who suffers from male pattern baldness.
Unlike Rafa, Tiger has so far resisted the temptation to have a hair transplant. Like a lot of golfers – think of Jordan Spieth – Tiger prefers to hide his thinning locks under a baseball cap.
Rafa is likely to lose more of his natural hair over the next few years.
He could take one of two clinically proven hair loss drugs which are available on prescription from Crown Clinic’s hair transplant surgeon Asim Shahmalak to slow down or halt this natural hair loss.
The best known of these drugs is Finasteride, also known as Propecia, which is taken orally and has been shown to help hair transplant patients.
Dr Shahmalak also treats some patients with Minoxidil, which can be applied on the scalp through drops or rubbed on in a mousse.
At Crown Clinic, we have just started stocking a new range of hair loss products which have been developed in the United States by Dr Larry Shapiro.
He has treated more than 14,000 patients with his Help Hair Products. We are selling the Help Hair protein shakes and vitamins, Rescue MD Shampoo and Conditioner, the Leafy Green Shampoo and the Zine Shampoo.
You can find all the new products in the Treatment section of the website. Dr Shaprio says they have stimulated hair growth in his patients.
Back to Rafa Nadal, who may well need a second hair transplant in the next few years.
Lots of sportsmen have FUE procedures to help protect their images rights which can be worth millions to a world superstar such as Nadal.
Dr Shahmalak at Crown Clinic has treated a number of high profile sportsmen. Some such as ex-Liverpool and Man City footballer Didi Hamann have been happy to go public and share details of their FUE transplant at Crown Clinic.
Others have preferred to kept their surgery private. We are always delighted to see some of our former clients on Match of the Day on Saturday nights.