After taking a shower, it is common to notice some hair fall collected around your drain or dangling from your hairbrush. There are a lot of factors that can affect the strength of hair and lead to hair fall.
An average scalp has 100,000 to 150,000 follicles. Typically, 50 to 100 fall out daily as they finish their development cycle. There is no cause to worry unless you start seeing a receding hairline–hair thinning in frontal portion of hair.
Males and females both undergo considerable hair loss throughout their lifetimes. However, the percentage ratio between men and women is 80 to 50, respectively. For many, the thinning begins long before middle age.
It might be difficult for many guys to notice thinning hair. While we all know this day will come, hair loss is painful - emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Hair loss in the front is frequently one of the first indicators of Alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness (MPB), a disease that almost every man will develop as they age.
For some, MPB may end with a receding hairline. For others, it might result in hair fall at the crown.
In this article, we will discuss what MPB is, why your hairline recedes in the front, and what are the reasons and causes for hair thinning in males. Is it just an age thing or not? Read on to find out more.
What Is Male Pattern Baldness?
Androgenetic Alopecia, also known as Male pattern baldness, occurs when shedding outpaces growth. According to the American Hair Loss Association, 95 percent of hair loss in men is due to androgenetic Alopecia. It is a hormonal condition that affects men more frequently than women.
This inherited genetic trait which causes men's hairlines to recede and crowns to thin is caused by a genetic sensitivity to a byproduct of testosterone known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
How does this result in hair loss? Well, the sensitive hair follicles tend to shrink over time. The follicles eventually become too small to produce hair, reducing life expectancy as each hair grows shorter. As time passes, these impacted follicles cease to produce hair as you are accustomed to.
- You will find a regular trend with male pattern baldness. The two most prevalent patterns are–hair on top of the head and around the temples beginning to thin.
- It will leave a horseshoe pattern on the sides and rear of the head. The second stage is when the hair starts to retreat from the front of the hairline, pushing it further back on the head.
- The Norwood classification system is used to determine the degree and development of baldness in males. It is divided into seven stages that assess the severity and pattern of hair loss and baldness.
- It serves as a reference point for determining the degree of baldness, discussing treatment alternatives, and assessing treatment efficacy. MPB is the most common reason for hair thinning in male.
At What Age Do Men Start Losing Hair?
If your hair starts to get thinner than it used to be, you are not alone. Most men are affected by male pattern baldness at some stage.
The American Hair Loss Association reports that
- Around 25% of males with genetic male pattern baldness begin losing their hair before age 21.
- Approximately 66 percent of males have had or will have some degree of hair loss by age 35.
- Around 85 percent of males have noticeably thinning hair by age 50.
Reasons And Hair Thinning Causes In Males:
Although typical, Male pattern baldness is not the only cause of triggering hair loss.
One of the ways to identify if hair thinning is caused due to MPD is apart from hair loss; it has no other symptoms. However, with various hair loss reasons, you may experience different symptoms.
Furthermore, with other hair loss causes, there isn't always a predictable pattern. Instead, it happens very erratically–all over the place or in a few spots.
Below, we've listed some possible causes and reasons for the hair loss you are experiencing:
Stress:
Severe or extreme stress can harm your health in a variety of ways. It can lead to increased chances of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and mental health problems, including despair and anxiety.
It may also affect your hair health. However, far less typical than male pattern baldness, hair loss caused by stress is known as Telogen effluvium and is a surprisingly widespread problem.
Stress-related extreme shedding of hair often happens after some sort of shock or stressful event –emotional or physical. Triggers like surgery, illness, dramatic weight loss, or trauma can trigger hair thinning.
Luckily, the hair loss isn't permanent here. If diagnosed, the hair can grow back within 2 to 6 months. However, the damage can give you image issues, and self-doubt and damage your confidence. Stress is one of the most common reasons for hair thinning in male.
Nutritional Deficiencies:
For overall good health and fine hair development, it is necessary to maintain adequate levels of Iron, zinc, biotin, protein, and other vitamins. A proper nutritional and balanced diet is essential for lustrous locks.
A lack of one or more of these nutrients may result in more significant hair loss. Scarcity of Iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which affects hair growth. Telogen effluvium, as discussed above, can also occur due to dietary issues, crash diets, and lack of nutrition.
Crash diets are one of the significant causes of hair thinning, as sudden weight loss puts a lot of pressure and stress on the body. Pair this diet with a lack of protein; you can imagine your worst hair fall nightmare.
If your body is not getting enough nutrition to survive, it can affect the thickness of your hair, lead to brittle, dry hair, and in some cases, cease hair growth as it used to.
Alopecia Areata:
This condition makes your hair fall in patches. Only once these patches are connected will you start noticing it. In this condition, your body's immune system mistakenly attacks the good hair follicles, which leads to hair loss.
According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation(NAAF), this hair loss is widespread and can affect any ethnicity, sex, or age. The journey is different for everyone; for some, it can begin in childhood and for some in adulthood.
It can occur on your scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, face, or other body parts. Sometimes the hair may or may not grow back. Alopecia areata is a typical hair thinning cause in male.
However, as per the NAAF, this is usually not a lifelong condition. The damaged hair follicles are not dead. Therefore the chances of regrowth are not zero.
Medicines:
Certain drugs might disrupt the regular growth cycle of your hair, causing you to lose more hair than usual.
Hair loss is most typically related to cancer-treatment chemicals, such as chemotherapy. It can, however, occur with other medications used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, and skin disorders such as acne.
For example, drugs used in chemotherapy can cause anagen effluvium–a form of shedding that happens when the hair shaft (the part of the hair that grows out from the scalp) gets fractured.
In addition to this, cancer medications can also hamper the growth of your bodily hair, like eyebrows or eyelashes. Certain hormonal medications can also trigger hair loss if stopped abruptly.
Overdoing Hair Care:
Excessive use of anything can lead to damage. Due to societal pressure, today's generation is all about feeling and looking good on the outside. They are also more aware, and things are easily accessible to them.
The use of chemicals like bleach, hair color, styling gels, and heating tools are a few of the substantial contributors to increased hair loss.
Is There A Way To Prevent Male Hair Thinning In Front?
After "How to stop hair loss?" One of the most commonly asked questions is, "can one prevent or reserve it?"
To answer this question, hair loss is treatable for men who fall between the 1 to 4 stages as per the Hamilton-Morwood scale. A hair transplant is your best option if you fall between stages 5 to 7.
Takeaway
Losing hair in chunks can come as a shock and affect your ability to perform socially. The distressed one encounters due to hair loss can never be understood. If you are also going through something similar, we recommend taking the hair test at Traya Health.
Many factors contribute to thinning of hair in men, and the problem can be treated by curating a personalized solution for the specific type of hair fall problem. We believe in addressing the root cause of the problem to see effective results.
Once you take the hair test and fill out the necessary details, based on your diagnosis provided by our certified doctors, we will offer you a customized hair care kit and a plan of action.
All you have to do is follow the prescription and stay motivated with the help of our health coach!
FAQ
Q1 - What Is Considered Abnormal Hair Loss?
It is normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs every day. Excessive hair shedding happens when the body sheds a significant amount of hair each day. Also, when you start noticing patches of bald spots or receding hairline.
Q2 - How do I know If I Have Abnormal Hair Loss?
Take a hair test at Traya health if you are worried about the amount of hair you are losing. A progressive thinning on top of your head, the emergence of patchy or bald places on your scalp, and full-body hair loss are all indicators of an underlying health problem.
Q3 - How Can You Tell What Kind Of Hair Loss You Have?
If you lose about 50 to 100 strands daily, it is average hair loss, and there is nothing to worry about. However, the hair loss is more and if you notice a slight thinning or patches or receding of the hairline, take a hair test at Traya Health. We provide a personalized diagnosis based on your hair type and condition.
Q4 - What Are The Three Most Common Types Of Hair Loss?
Alopecia is commonly understood to be a kind of hair loss. What people don't usually realize is that there are three common forms of conditions: alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, and Alopecia Universalis.
References:
https://www.americanhairloss.org/men_hair_loss/introduction.html
americanhairloss.org/men_hair_loss/causes_of_hair_loss.html
https://www.naaf.org/alopecia-areata
aad.org/public/diseases/hair-and-scalp-problems/hair-loss#treatment
