Evan Lysacek -- I've Had 15 to 20 Concussions ... Figure Skating Is Brutal

Team USA figure skating champ Evan Lysacek tells TMZ Sports ... he's suffered AT LEAST 15 concussions in his career and says the sport should consider making helmets mandatory on ice before something terrible happens.

The Olympic gold medal winner was in L.A. on Thursday and was brutally honest about the dangers of figure skating.

"I've seen some gnarly falls like where a girl gets dropped out of mid-air and just like their teeth pop out ... and split chins, split cheek ... crazy stuff."

The 28-year-old says he believes he's suffered somewhere between 15 and 20 concussions ... explaining, "You know sometimes we fall at 20 miles an hour. Your neck just kinda snaps back."

According to the U.S. Department of Health, people who suffer repeated concussions "may have serious long-term problems, including chronic difficulty with concentration, memory, headache, and occasionally, physical skills, such as keeping one’s balance."