David Backes Boston Bruins Hair Restoration
Former Boston Bruins forward, longtime NHL captain and two time U.S. Olympian David Backes came to Leonard Hair Transplant Associates after noticing his hair gradually thinning and spending more and more time trying to style around it.
After meeting with Dr. Matthew Lopresti, David began addressing his progressive hair loss with a long term hair restoration plan. For a professional athlete accustomed to making decisions quickly, this one had been staring back at him in the mirror for a while.
From NHL Captain to the Boston Bruins
David Backes played 15 seasons in the NHL, building a career defined by leadership, physical play and longevity. He spent 10 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, including five as team captain, before signing with the Boston Bruins in 2016 and helping Boston reach the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
David also represented the United States at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal with Team USA in Vancouver. He finished his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks and retired in 2021 after 965 regular-season games, 248 goals and 561 points.
During his years in Boston, another issue had started getting his attention. His hair was thinning, and hiding it was becoming harder to ignore.
When Did David Backes Start Losing His Hair?
David noticed his hair becoming thinner during the later years of his NHL career.
“Over the last few years, I noticed my hair starting to thin out, and I’d spend a lot of time in the mirror trying to style it in all the right places so it wasn’t noticeable,” David said.
Eventually, styling his hair became less about how he wanted it to look and more about making sure nobody could see where it was thinning.
“It really made me feel less confident and I remember thinking, the sooner I do something about this the better.”
That is often when hair loss becomes difficult to ignore. It does not have to be advanced. Sometimes the first real sign is simply realizing how much time you are spending trying to hide it.
Because hair loss is progressive, addressing it earlier may also provide more opportunities to protect and improve the hair that is still there.
How Did David Backes Find Leonard Hair Transplant Associates?
The conversation started in the Boston Bruins locker room.
David overheard teammates talking about hair loss and Leonard Hair Transplant Associates. What surprised him was not that other players were losing their hair. It was how openly they were talking about doing something about it.
“I heard the guys talking about hair loss, and I was surprised because in my mind there was an old stigma about hair replacement. We’re macho guys, and we don’t typically talk about stuff like that.”
David already knew about the practice through its work with other professional athletes in New England. After hearing the conversation, he decided to do his own research.
“I jumped on their website and did some research and confirmed that they were the ones to go to for hair loss.”
The locker room got his attention. The research got him through the door.
What Did Dr. Matthew Lopresti Recommend for David Backes?
Dr. Lopresti evaluated David’s thinning hair and discussed both surgical and non-surgical hair restoration options based on his existing hair, progressive hair loss and long term goals.
That distinction matters because hair restoration is not one treatment solving one problem.
FUE and FUT hair transplant surgery can move permanent donor follicles into areas where hair has already been lost. Non-surgical hair loss treatments may be considered when medically appropriate to help stabilize progressive hair loss and improve the thickness and density of existing hair.
David began with non-surgical treatment while planning for hair transplant surgery.
The strategy was not simply about replacing what had disappeared. It was also about paying attention to what was still there.
What Did David Backes Want From Hair Restoration?
David wanted greater hair density and the freedom to stop arranging his hairstyle around thinning areas.
“My goal is to regain the density of hair that I had in my youth,” David said. “I want to be at the point where I’m not triple checking the mirror to make sure the thin spots are covered.”
That is a remarkably simple description of what hair loss can do.
It can turn a mirror into an inspection.
Hair restoration does not have to be about changing the person looking back at you. Sometimes the goal is more hair, more styling freedom and considerably less time thinking about either one.
What Did David Backes Say About Dr. Lopresti?
David said he connected with Dr. Lopresti immediately during his consultation.
“Dr. Lopresti was personable and relatable. Being a young guy, I felt like he was my peer, and he had plenty of energy and passion about what he does.”
That relationship matters because progressive hair loss requires more than deciding what can be done today.
Dr. Lopresti considers the hair a patient still has, the areas where hair has already been lost, the permanent donor supply available if surgery is considered and how hair loss may continue in the future.
A hair transplant can be performed in a day. Planning one should look considerably further ahead.
Does Everyone With Hair Loss Need a Hair Transplant?
No. Hair loss does not automatically mean hair transplant surgery is the right treatment.
Patients who still have substantial existing hair may have non-surgical options that can help stabilize progressive hair loss and potentially improve thickness and density. Depending on the patient, Dr. Lopresti may discuss treatments such as PRP with ACell, finasteride or minoxidil when medically appropriate.
When hair has already been permanently lost, FUE or FUT hair transplant surgery may be considered to move permanent donor follicles into those areas.
The important question is not which treatment is newest or gets talked about the most.
It is which treatment makes sense for your hair.
Why Have Boston Bruins Players Chosen Leonard Hair Transplant Associates?
David Backes is one of several Boston Bruins players who have come to Leonard Hair Transplant Associates to address hair loss.
Sean Kuraly chose PRP with ACell to address his existing thinning hair. Charlie McAvoy underwent FUT hair transplant surgery with Dr. Lopresti. David began his own hair restoration plan after hearing teammates discussing hair loss in the Bruins locker room.
Their treatments were different because their hair loss was different.
That is the connection that matters.
Professional athletes may have very public careers, but their hair follicles do not know who they are. They face the same fundamental questions as everyone else. What hair has been lost? What hair can still be protected? What treatment makes sense now? And what will still make sense years from now?
Where Does Dr. Lopresti Perform Hair Transplant Surgery?
Dr. Matthew Lopresti performs FUE and FUT hair transplant surgery at the Leonard Hair Transplant Associates surgical locations in Newton, Massachusetts and Warwick, Rhode Island.
The practice treats men and women throughout Greater Boston and New England, as well as patients who travel from across the United States and internationally for hair restoration.
Patients can begin with a free consultation to evaluate their hair loss, existing hair and donor supply and determine whether surgical or non-surgical hair restoration makes sense.
When Should You Do Something About Hair Loss?
You do not have to wait until hair loss becomes advanced to have it evaluated.
David knew something had changed when he found himself repeatedly arranging his hair to hide thinning areas. That was enough to make him start asking questions.
Hair loss is progressive. The hair you still have matters, and understanding what is happening earlier may give you more options for maintaining it.
David said it best.
“The sooner I do something about this the better.”
If you are starting to think the same thing, a free consultation with Leonard Hair Transplant Associates can help you understand where your hair stands and what options may make sense from here.