Understanding Hair Thinning at 20: Causes and Solutions

No one wants to start noticing their hair falling out – at any age. But when you wake up to hair all over your pillow, in the shower drain, or on your hairbrush when you’re in your 20s, it can get totally in your head and undermine your confidence. It’s not really such an unusual thing to wake up and find that you’re losing a bit more after you’ve turned 20. However, effectively treating your thinning means acting at the first signs. 

Research from Dermatological Surgery found that over 15% of men between 18 and 29 experienced moderate to extensive hair loss. And if you’re not seeing it in your 20s, that doesn’t mean it won’t come for you later. This number only increases as you age, with over half of men aged 40-49 experiencing excessive thinning. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at hair thinning at 20 from all angles, what to expect, and how you can treat it. We’ll also fill you in on what Hairy Hair can do to help with your shedding.

Is Hair Thinning at 20 Normal?

Many men will experience hair loss at some point, and some shedding is to be expected, even in your 20s. We all lose between 50 and 100 strands daily, but we don’t notice big bald patches or thinning areas. Why is that? Well, your hair works in a growth cycle.

Most of your hair is usually in the cycle’s growth (anagen) phase, which lasts several years. A smaller portion then moves to a transitional phase called the telogen or resting phase. Hair follicles lie dormant and stop actively growing. The final phase is the exogen of shedding, where the strand is cut off from the blood supply and falls out, making way for new hair growth.

When more hair is in the resting phase than the growth phase, that’s when we start to see problems. This means that more than 100 hairs are shedding daily, which should be a cause for concern.

Types of Early-Onset Hair Loss

Some forms of hair loss are more common for young people than others, and knowing these symptoms can help you take the proper steps to remedy the situation. Here are some of the symptoms you should look out for:

• Progressive Thinning: This is the most common hair loss and becomes more noticeable as you age. You’ll notice it as a receding hairline, growing bald spot, or overall thinning on your scalp. 
• Sudden Hair Loss: This one can be easier to spot since you’ll notice handfuls of hair are easily uprooted, and you’ll find clumps on your pillow, hairbrush, or in the drain.
• Patchy Bald Spots: Unlike growing bald spots, circular patches of hair loss can appear suddenly and affect your scalp, eyebrows, or beard. They can also accompany itchy or irritated skin.
• Scaly Patches: If the texture around your exposed scalp feels scaly, it’s typically a sign of ringworm, which requires medical treatment.
• Total-Body Hair Loss: Medical conditions and treatments, like chemotherapy, can both cause total hair loss all over the body.

What Causes Hair Thinning at 20?

There are a number of different reasons that people lose their hair in their 20s. Sometimes it is a temporary issue that will sort itself out, but others are persistent disorders that need to be treated early.

With word that people are losing their hair sooner than ever, Market Watch reports, it is imperative to understand what is typical and what is not. These are the leading reasons for premature balding:

Androgenetic Alopecia

Also known as male pattern baldness, androgenetic alopecia is the most common cause of hair loss in your 20s. It’s a genetically inherited disorder and is caused by changes in hormones. Androgenetic alopecia can start to take effect as early as your 20s or 30s. 

As you age, hormones that your body once needed start to get in the way. That’s where dihydrotestosterone (DHT) comes in. It’s an androgen (male sex hormone) found in both men and women. You need it while you are an adolescent to develop into an adult. But when you are in your 20s, you don’t need DHT anymore.

That is not to say that it vanishes, though. When testosterone is turned into DHT, it can attach to your hair follicle. When this happens, it starts a miniaturisation process, and your hair follicle becomes smaller and smaller over time.

And when the follicle contracts, the strands being produced become finer and weaker. It finally causes the follicle to stop producing hair, thereby leading to permanent hair loss. That is why treating male pattern baldness in the early stages is essential to give you the optimal chance of preventing further hair loss and restoring lost hair.

Telogen Effluvium

This is generally a reversible form of hair loss induced by stress. It is induced by either an emotional trigger or physical stress like surgery, where your body believes it’s under attack and prioritises bringing nutrients to your vital organs. Unfortunately for your hair, your scalp doesn’t get as much attention.

Stress hair loss is likely to occur 3-4 months after a traumatic or stressful event. While it will tend to resolve on its own, if you already have an existing condition like male pattern baldness, this will only exacerbate the situation and your hair will continue to fall out even after you’ve overcome the stressor. 

Traction Alopecia

If you have your hair pulled up tightly in styles like braids or ponytails, it can cause damage to your scalp. The tighter you pull your hair follicles, the more prone the strands are to premature shedding. This could also be due to overuse of heat tools, eg, straighteners, or even using a hair dryer at max temperature too often.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Having a healthy diet is vital to achieving and maintaining healthy hair. When you’re low on specific nutrients like iron or B vitamins, your hair can be the first place it starts to show. Ensuring you’re getting the right foods can help prevent brittle hair, dandruff, and dryness, which can all cause damage and lead to shedding.

Lifestyle

Many lifestyle changes can cause more hair thinning. These include abrupt weight loss, heavy alcohol consumption, and smoking. The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found 85% of male smokers who were between the ages of 20 and 35 had some form of androgenetic alopecia.

How Can You Treat Hair Loss in Your 20s

The cause of your hair loss will usually dictate the right course of treatment to fix the issue. While some situations, like stress-related hair loss, can resolve themselves on their own when the stressor has been eliminated from your life, others require medical intervention to see results.

Here are some of our top tips for treating hair loss in your 20s:

• Reduce alcohol intake
• Maintain a healthy diet
• Stop smoking
• Manage stress levels
• Practice gentle hair care
• Try a hair loss medication

How Can Hairy Hair Help with my Hair Loss?

If you’re struggling with male pattern baldness or just noticing a lot more hair loss than usual, it’s crucial to speak to a medical professional. Understanding the root cause of your issue will help you effectively address the situation and provide you with better treatment options than throwing the kitchen sink at the issue.

As we mentioned, acting at the first signs of hair loss can give you a better chance at recovering lost hair and preventing future shedding. It can be difficult to talk about thinning in your 20s, but the sooner you act, the more likely you are to get back to your old luscious locks.

Contact Hairy Hair today if you want to start tackling your hair loss effectively. Our hair loss treatment combines powerful ingredients that are designed to target the root causes of thinning and promote hair regrowth. We use a vasodilator to help increase nutrient delivery to your follicles and a DHT blocker to assist in lowering your levels, giving your follicles a chance to produce strong, resilient strands.

When you’re ready to get started, all you need to do is fill in our brief online form. Once we learn a bit more about you and your hair loss, one of our expert Australian GPs will review your details and create a personalised treatment plan. They’ll give you a call, and after answering your questions, your prescription will be ready to ship right to your door.