Why More Men Are Losing Their Hair at a Young Age

While most men accept the fact that there’s a chance they could lose their hair when they get older, it can be extremely challenging coming to terms with why you may be starting to lose hair at a younger age than you expected.

Young balding men may find it harder to cope with hair loss than older men, due to society’s perceived aesthetic expectations for men. To help you understand some of the reasons why many men are losing their hair at younger ages these days, we’ve put together some useful information for you.

If you’d like to talk to a healthcare practitioner about early male pattern baldness and what hair loss treatments may be available for you, based on your health, and medical history, just complete a short online assessment to get started today.

When Do Men Typically Start Losing Hair?

Male Pattern Hair Loss (MPHL) is a common disorder that usually occurs after puberty. It’s a prevalent condition worldwide, and it’s increasingly likely as we age.

There are some studies that estimate different countries may experience different levels of prevalence, based on race and/or ethnicity. However, the wide range of study methods used in this comparison, makes it difficult to actually estimate and compare these prevalences.

One study in the United States found moderate hair loss (Stage III on the Hamilton-Norwood scale or higher), in 48% of healthy men between the ages of 18 and 49. This broke down to 16% of males losing hair at an earlier age between 18 and 29, and 53% of men between the ages of 40 and 49.

On the other hand, a study from Korea that examined men during regular hospital health examinations showed only 14% demonstrated signs of moderate MPHL; with only 2% of individuals experiencing early balding between 20 and 29, and 11% among men 40 and 49 years old.

SIDE NOTE: Both of these studies tackled very different size study groups (U.S. = 226 people vs Korea = 5531 people), so that could also play a role in the result variances.

The prevalence of MPHL in people under the age of 18 is very limited. This means, there’s a lot less information available regarding potential causes and treatment options for these demographics.

However, both childhood-onset (6-11) and adolescent-onset (12-17) androgenetic alopecia have begun to be recognized as their own unique conditions.

When Is it Considered Early Balding?

Though it may be less common, early male pattern baldness can begin at any age. So, if you’ve been wondering “at what age do men start balding?”, there’s unfortunately no one concrete answer.

As we mentioned, roughly 16% of men between the ages of 18-29 may experience early balding, while 53% of men between 40-49 can be susceptible to more traditional MPHL.

If you’d like to talk to a practitioner at Felix about whether there are hair loss treatments that may work for you, just complete a short assessment (at your convenience) to get started.

Why Are More Young Men Experiencing Hair Loss?

To be honest, there isn’t any concrete data to tell us exactly why this may be occurring.

There are some people that believe that North America’s obesogenic environment could be a cause for increased levels of hair loss, since obesity can accelerate hair thinning by having a reaction on the stem cells that are located in the hair follicles.

However, information related to these theories are limited, and they can’t definitively be considered a reason why young men may be balding earlier.

Is Hair Loss More Common Now?

This is a difficult question to answer, since it’s only been the last few decades that we’ve begun to see concrete evidence arise about the reasons for hair loss in the first place, as well as treatments that may be able to slow hair loss or even potentially regrow lost hair.

Hair loss may be at the same levels they were previously, it may just be that we’re more readily able to recognize MPHL in its varying forms. Or it could be that more men are seeking help for the condition, and are therefore making the statistics rise, despite the fact that the underlying numbers may not be changing.

The fact of the matter is that early male pattern baldness has been around for a long time, and whether it’s becoming more prevalent or not, it’s still important to seek treatment as early as possible for MPHL symptoms.

This way, you may be able to slow hair loss, before it becomes something that starts to impact your self-image or quality of life. If you’d like to get started talking to a practitioner today, it only takes a few minutes to get started.

What Can Be Done About Early Hair Loss?

The best way to treat early male pattern baldness is to begin treatment as early as humanly possible.

Many treatments claim that they are more effective at stopping hair loss than potentially regrowing lost hair. By starting balding treatments early, you can try to save as much of your hair as possible, before it has a chance to fall out.

While these treatments aren’t guaranteed to work, experts are consistent in recommending that treatments begin as soon as you notice signs of early male pattern baldness, in order to achieve the best possible results.

What Are the Treatments Available for Preventing Hair Loss

There are a couple of different potential hair loss treatment options that your practitioner may suggest to you.

One of the most common starting places for treatment is to try over-the-counter solutions, like topical and oral minoxidil, in combination with 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.

In some cases, practitioners may suggest trying photobiomodulation (also known as low-level laser therapy or LLLT), taking platelet-rich plasma (PRP), trying hair transplantation, and/or camouflage techniques that can help mask hair loss.

When Should I Talk to My Practitioner About My Hair Loss?

If you’re noticing that you’re a young man and you’re balding, it could be time to talk to a practitioner about what you can do to slow your hair loss.

To get started, complete a short online assessment (at your convenience), and one of our practitioners will be happy to evaluate your situation to see whether hair loss treatments could be right for you, based on your health, medical history, and the signs of early balding you’re showing.

With Felix in your corner, you can take back control of your hairline and your quality of life, so that you can get back to living life on your terms - the way it should be.