The News of the World this week reported that England football star Wayne Rooney is planning to start taking the prescription-only hair loss medication Propecia after he got sick of teasing about his balding pate from teammates. Rooney, who is paid £100,000 a week to play as a striker for Manchester United, has apparently already has a consultation to begin the treatment.
Previously, footballers were unable to take Propecia. The active ingredient finasteride was banned in the sport, as regulators were afraid it could mask steroid use. Now it has been made legal and apparently Rooney, 23, is hopeful it could help with his early-onset hair loss and is intending to combine the pills with a topical lotion he will rub into his scalp.
Rooney is expecting his first child with his wife Coleen and the baby is due later in the year. If the couple were trying for a child, this would have prevented Rooney from starting the medication immediately as finasteride can cause problems in the development of unborn male children. His wife’s pregnancy may still lead him to decide to only begin the medication after the baby is born, as it is recommended that the pregnant women do not come into contact with the tablets at all.