How Old Should I Be Before I Start Noticing Hair Loss?
If you’re worried about hair loss, it’s important to understand why it happens and when you can expect to start seeing hair loss occur. In this blog, we’ll review a few different reasons for hair loss at different points in your life. Let’s get started.
What to Know About Hair Loss
If You’re Losing Hair as a Teen
It may seem like your teenage years are too early for hair loss to occur, but the truth is that there are several reasons for hair loss that could affect teens. The first reason we should discuss is alopecia. Alopecia is an immune disorder that causes the hair to fall out in patches. In most cases, this occurs mainly on the scalp, but it can also occur all over the body. So if you notice patches of hair falling out on your scalp or body, it could be time to talk to your doctor about alopecia treatments.
Stress can also be a valid reason for hair loss in teens. The pressure of school, social life, and extracurricular activities can be a lot to handle all at once. If you notice that your stress levels have been particularly high lately, it’s possible that your hair loss could be related and that reducing your stress levels could help reduce or reverse that hair loss. And while it’s fairly uncommon, it is possible for teens to experience hair thinning or a receding hairline as a result of genetics. Male and female pattern baldness typically don’t take hold until later in life, but it’s possible for a teen to experience hair loss as a result of these conditions.
If You’re Losing Hair in Your 20s
Hair loss during your 20s is a little bit more common than hair loss during your teenage years. In fact, about 20% of men start to see some level of hair loss or hair thinning by the time they turn 20. While the reasons for hair loss in your 20s are fairly similar to those for hair loss in your teens, it can be a little bit tougher to suss out the root cause. If you haven’t been diagnosed with a condition like alopecia in your teens, then figuring out what’s causing hair loss later in life might be trickier. If you have a good idea of your family’s history with hair loss, you’ll likely be better off. It’s also possible that your hair is thinning due to hormonal changes. This is especially common in women. Changes in hormones as a result of pregnancy and the menstrual cycle have the potential to affect hair growth and hair loss. It should be noted that this is the best time to take action if you want to prevent further hair loss and reverse the hair loss that has already occurred. This is especially true if you’re in your late 20s and experiencing some level of hair loss.
If You’re Losing Hair in Your 30s and Beyond
As you grow older, the likelihood that you’ll experience hair loss or hair thinning increases significantly — so much so that by the time men reach the age of 50, almost half of them will have some form of noticeable hair loss. At this point in life, hair loss is much more common for both men and women. This is typically when hereditary loss starts to take the biggest toll and factors like stress no longer hold as much sway. Hormonal changes for women entering menopause in their 50s and 60s may come with some hair-related changes, though.
It’s never too late to take action against hair loss. As long as you work with your doctor, you should have a hair loss treatment plan put together in no time.
If you think you may be experiencing hair loss or you’re worried about hair loss occurring in the future, we can help. Don’t hesitate to set up a consultation with our team at North Pacific Dermatology today.