Hair loss, also called alopecia, can start at almost any age as you enter adulthood. You can start losing your hair as early as your late teens and early 20s. But you might have a full head of hair with almost no thinning or balding until well into your 50s and 60s. There's a lot of variation from person to person.
Half of the men in the world experience hair loss by age 50. About 70% of men will lose hair as they get older. And 25% of bald men see first signs of hair loss before age 21.
It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men. Baldness typically refers to excessive hair loss from your scalp. Hereditary hair loss with age is the most common cause of baldness.
Pattern hair loss usually starts in adulthood, but can also start during your teenage years. It's not uncommon for teenagers to experience this form of hair loss, but its prevalence is currently not known.
Although we usually associate hair loss with middle age, it's quite common to begin to lose hair before the age of 25. In fact, research shows that approximately 16 percent of men between 18 and 29 years of age are affected by moderate to extensive hair loss.
If the reason for thinning hair is genetics, it will not grow back on its own. To grow back a healthy, full head of hair, you'll need to take action, and that involves reviewing different hair loss options.
While you may feel like you are too young to start losing your hair in your teens, the reality is that hair loss can begin as early as 15 or 16 years old. While it's uncommon, hair loss in your teens tends to come on gradually, beginning with thinning hair or a receding hairline.
"A receding hairline is most common in men over the age of 25. However, some men who have a family history of hair loss may notice their hairline receding in their 20s or even in their teenage years." Getting a receding hairline is very common as you get older.
To sum up, if you have an X-linked baldness gene or your father is bald, the chances are that you will get bald. Moreover, if you have some of the other genes responsible for baldness, you are even more likely to lose your hair.
For answers, I turned to Carlos Wambier, the director of cosmetic dermatology research at Brown University, who, unfortunately, tells me that everyone experiences at least some hair loss and that “hair loss never stops.” For guys like me, who have already had some hair loss, Wambier explains that, generally, this hair ...
Excessive shedding usually stops on its own, especially if it's caused by stress or fever. But your doctor can check for underlying problems like thyroid disorders or nutrient deficiencies. Treating those problems will reverse the hair loss. Treatments can help excessive shedding and alopecia.
In other cases, thinning hair is triggered by something going on inside the body — for instance, a thyroid problem, a shift in hormones, a recent pregnancy, or an inflammatory condition. Hair loss may also be genetic. The most common genetic condition is known as female-pattern hair loss, or androgenic alopecia.
Baldness or hair loss is usually something only adults need to worry about. But sometimes teens lose their hair, too — and it may be a sign that something's going on. Hair loss during adolescence can mean a person may be sick or just not eating right.
Although male pattern baldness is most common in men in their 30s, 40s and older, it's possible to develop the early signs of hair loss while you're a teenager. Dealing with hair loss can be a frustrating experience. Luckily, hair loss is treatable.
Dandruff itself does not cause hair loss. However, severe dandruff can cause a person to scratch their scalp so hard that they injure it. Repeated inflammation in the hair follicles can cause damage and scarring, slowing or stopping hair growth. This can cause weak or thinning hair.
Here's the truth: You can't change the size of your hair follicles. If you were born with fine hair, it's genetics, and no product will completely alter that. Of course, there are ways to maintain your hair health, add volume, and keep it from getting any thinner.
In women, hereditary hair loss usually starts after the age of 40. Roughly 40% of women have detectable hair loss by the age of 50. And less than half of women get through life with a full head of hair.
Minoxidil (Rogaine).
Products with minoxidil help many people regrow their hair or slow the rate of hair loss or both. It'll take at least six months of treatment to prevent further hair loss and to start hair regrowth. It may take a few more months to tell whether the treatment is working for you.
The bottom line
In 95 percent of cases, balding is due to androgenetic alopecia, more commonly known as male pattern baldness, which is a hereditary condition. It can affect men of all ages, and may even start before the age of 21. Although you can't prevent male pattern baldness, there are ways to slow down hair loss.
Possible causes of hair loss include stress, poor diet, and underlying medical conditions. Everyone experiences hair shedding, and it happens to each of us every day. Most people lose 50 to 100 hairs per day as part of this natural cycle, more on days you wash your hair.
About 55 percent of women experience some hair loss by the age of 70. The most common cause is female-pattern baldness, an inherited condition. It's characterized by gradual thinning of your hair, which may be noticeable as a widening part or a ponytail that's less hefty than it used to be.