At What Age Do People Start Losing Their Hair?

It is a common misconception that only older men and women experience hair loss or baldness. However, men of any age can become afflicted with male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia) and women of any age can develop female pattern baldness. Genetics will determine how much hair loss will be experienced by each person.   Some individuals may experience some thinning or balding when they are as young as 15 or 16 years old, but that would be on the extremely early side.

The onset of male and female pattern baldness is very gradual and both conditions are progressive. People with pattern baldness will usually start to experience some thinning hair or have a hairline that is starting to recede. The amount of noticeable hair loss will increase with age, so at age 30, 30% of people will have some hair loss that is visible and by age 60, 60% of people will have some visible hair loss. Alopecia will usually start to affect men and women when they are in their mid to late twenties.

Although male and female baldness are a predominant cause of hair loss, there are other causes of hair loss as well, but many of the other causes are temporary and treatable. Other causes include stress, diet, lack of sleep, pregnancy and side effects to medication. Baldness from any of these causes can start at any age, and this type of hair loss may continue as long as the person is continuing to go through a change in lifestyle, undergoing a new medical treatment or taking a medication.

Going completely bald does not happen overnight, since the onset of hair loss is gradual and you may initially just look like you have patchy hair or you may have diffused hair patterns. On average, people lose 100 hairs a day and the average person has about 100,000 hairs. Each hair will generally stay on the head for about 4 years and will grow about half an inch per month. Hair usually falls out after 4 years and it will be replaced with new hairs within 6 months. However, as men and women get older, their hair does not grow in as thick, which can make hair loss more noticeable. Pattern baldness is more common with men than women and 25% of men will start to bald when they are 30 years old and 66% of men will either be bald or will have a balding pattern by the time they turn 60.

If you are having some more hair loss than usual, or if you are noticing that your hair is thinning more or if you are having bald spots, you can contact the experienced hair loss physician, Dr. Yates. He will be able to determine what is causing your hair loss and will let you know what your options are for treatment.