Dr Harold Bornstein says US leader famous for his distinctive hairstyle takes prostate-related drug that stimulates growth

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The secret to Donald Trump’s hair has finally been revealed. The US president takes a prostate-related drug that stimulates hair growth, his longtime doctor has said.

Dr Harold Bornstein told the New York Times during a series of recent interviews that Trump, who at 70 is the oldest person to become US president, takes a small dose of the drug finasteride, which lowers levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, and is marketed as Propecia to treat male pattern baldness.

Bornstein, 69, said he also took the drug to maintain his own shoulder-length hair. “He has all his hair,” the doctor said. “I have all my hair.”

The drug prevents testosterone from converting into a hormone called DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which can cause male pattern baldness by blocking the absorption of nutrients needed for healthy hair follicles.

Trump’s hair has been compared to that of his late mother, Mary, who also had a penchant for sweeping her hair over to one side.



Ed Brody (@chiefbrody1984) You know when sometimes suddenly everything sort of starts to make sense? Well this is Trump's mother... pic.twitter.com/YG218CPEOt

Bornstein has been Trump’s personal doctor for 36 years. He became part of the presidential campaign in December 2015, when Trump published a doctor’s letter from him that declared the then Republican nominee would be the “healthiest individual elected to the presidency”.

The letter also revealed that Trump had low levels of PSA – which is a marker for prostate cancer. At the time, urologists who were not linked to Trump said he must have received medical care for an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer. But Trump’s intake of finasteride would also explain why his PSA was 0.15. Bornstein attributed Trump’s low PSA level to the medication and told the New York Times he had had no prostate-related care.

According to advice on patient.info, side-effects of finasteride “may include a loss of sex drive and a reduced ability to get an erection”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Donald Trump and his mother, Mary. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Bornstein also said Trump took antibiotics to control rosacea, a common skin problem, a statin for elevated blood cholesterol and lipids, as well as a daily baby aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack. He told the New York Times that the US president was healthy and his medical care was “exactly up to date”.

Bornstein has a private practice in New York, was educated at Tufts University and did a fellowship in gastroenterology at Yale. His father, Jacob Bornstein, was Trump’s previous doctor.



He told NBC in August that the letter was written in five minutes while Trump’s limousine waited outside. But he insisted it was written by him, despite containing phrasing similar to that of Trump. He repeated his endorsement of the candidate’s fitness for the office of president.



Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) As a presidential candidate, I have instructed my long-time doctor to issue, within two weeks, a full medical report-it will show perfection

Bornstein’s letter said Trump’s blood pressure and laboratory test results were “astonishingly excellent” and that his “physical strength and stamina are extraordinary”.

While Trump is a self-confessed “germophobe,” Bornstein said he had never discussed the issue with him. However, he added: “We are very careful to keep the examining rooms spotlessly clean, which we do anyway. He always stands there and changes the paper on the table himself. Other than that, nothing.”

The Guardian reported in September that Bornstein once paid tens of thousands of dollars to settle a lawsuit after being accused of malpractice that led to the death of a patient.

He told the New York Times that he had had no contact with Trump since he took office, and no one from the White House had asked for copies of his records.

White House officials are yet to comment on the information provided by the doctor.