Is All Hair Loss Preventable? According to Mayo Clinic, the majority of baldness is caused by genetics, usually known as male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness, and cannot be prevented. This type of hair loss is called androgenic alopecia, which is a genetic condition.
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. “Recent advances offer a lot of hope in both treating and preventing different types of baldness,” says dermatologist Amy Kassouf, MD.
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.
Unlike widespread hair loss, thinning hair doesn't necessarily cause baldness. It does, however, give the appearance of sparser spots of hair on your head. Thinning hair typically happens gradually, which means you have time to pinpoint the causes and figure out the best treatment measures.
The majority of people will experience some degree of hair loss throughout their life. Most people begin noticing hair loss during adulthood. But less commonly, some people start losing their hair as teenagers. Hair loss can be difficult for anybody, but especially if you're younger.
Hair loss during adolescence can mean a person may be sick or just not eating right. Some medicines or medical treatments (like chemotherapy ) also cause hair loss. People can even lose their hair if they wear a hairstyle (like braids) that pulls on the hair for a long time. Losing hair can be stressful.
Skipping a Generation: Myth or Fact
There is no scientific basis for the idea that baldness skip generations, regardless of any old wives tales you may have heard from the grapevine. However, there are many reasons why some people in families which carry the genetic trait for baldness do not go bald.
The most obvious first sign of balding is a noticeable change in your hairline that you can clearly see. Baldness often begins in the hairline, with the flat or mildly receded hairline you previously had turned into a more obvious M-shaped hairline.
It's a common misconception that only older men lose their hair, but going bald can actually occur from any age. 16% of men between 18 and 29 have experienced hair loss, so balding in your twenties isn't all that rare.
According to recent studies, science has shown that most people view bald men as more attractive and as more dominant. Bald men stand out from the crowd. They look stronger, a bit meaner and a bit more powerful than your average man.
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.
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.
If your mom's dad is bald, then there's a high chance you'll go bald in the future. If your father is bald as well, then those chances go up even more! But even if baldness doesn't run in your mom's family, it's still possible you'll go bald.
Fast facts about balding
More than 50 percent of women experience balding. By 50 years of age, about 85 percent of men are balding, according to the American Hair Loss Association (AHLA). In 25 percent of men who have genetic-related hair loss, it starts before they're 21 years old, reports the AHLA.
The X-linked chromosome from mom and the Y-chromosome carrying the baldness gene that comes from dad determine the outcome. “It could skip generations, skip siblings. That's how a recessive gene typically works,” Bauman explained.
Basically, if your maternal grandfather went bald, there's a good chance that you have some of the X chromosome genes for baldness, and some chance you have the autosomal genes for it too.
Yes. In many cases, receding hairline is indeed reversible. The right treatment for you depends on the cause. “For androgenic alopecia, minoxidil (Rogaine) is the only FDA-approved medical treatment for both men and women,” Krejci says.
Does an M-shaped hairline mean you're balding? An M-shaped hairline is, in fact, indicative of some form of hair loss. This type of hairline can begin to form after the hairline has receded back on both sides a bit. In men, this frontal hairline change is considered stage 2 - 3 hair loss according to the Norwood Scale.
Since your levels of testosterone and DHT increase during your teens, you may notice the first signs of DHT-related hair damage as a teenager in the form of thinning, shedding or a receding hairline.
Baldness is an accepted part of the aging process for some, and a source of distress for others. Hair loss affects millions of men and women, yet despite decades of research, a cure is still not available.
The proportion of men with moderate to extensive hair loss increased with increasing age, ranging from 16% for men 18-29 years of age to 53% of men 40-49. Twelve percent of the men were classified as having predominantly frontal baldness (type A variants).
Smoking tobacco can potentially damage your hair follicles and increase your risk of developing hair loss. A 2020 study compared the prevalence of early-onset androgenetic alopecia in male smokers and nonsmokers between 20 to 35 years old.