If you recently noticed hair in your plughole or hairbrush, you may be concerned about hair loss. However, there’s no need to panic. This is because research from www.healthline.com suggests that men lose 50-100 hairs every day. But, if you believe that your hair is noticeably thinning or you’re getting bald patches, the problem may be more serious and you should investigate. Let’s take a look at how common hair loss is at each age, as well as the treatments available and the potential causes of hair loss.

Going BaldThe age men go bald: the statistics

Research shows that the older you get, the more likely you are to lose the thickness of your hair. However, male pattern baldness (also known as androgenic alopecia) can start at any age. Overall, only 20% of men have noticeable hair loss at the age of 20. This rises to 25% at 30, 50% at 50 and 66% at 60. In addition to this, further research published in www.menshealth.com suggests that even if you do start going bald in your mid-20s, it will still take you 15-25 years to go bald, so you have plenty of time left with your hair.

Baldness: the treatments

If you suffer from male pattern baldness, you’re likely to notice a substantial amount of hair loss by your late-20s. At this point, a number of treatments are available to you. For example, the boss of www.gethair.co.uk Kaan Aksoy believes that “hair loss usually progresses at a fast pace during your early 20s and does not stabilise until late-20s…when someone is in his early 20s, we mostly suggest him to try medications to stop or slow down the hair loss. If a person in his early 30s is still experiencing heavy hair loss, he may also consider taking medication as well.”

At this age, a hair transplant is not considered as a potential treatment. This is because, in order to be a good candidate for a hair transplant, you’ll need your hair loss to stabilise. After all, the donor region on your head is a limited source, so by allowing the hair loss to stabilise, you can make the most of the healthy hair follicles that remain. As a result, medications and medicines are a lot more useful for younger sufferers, while older sufferers will benefit more clearly from a hair transplant.

What causes hair loss?

The rumour that your hair loss depends on the genes of your mother’s father is just that: a rumour. Although genes can play a role, hair-loss genes can be inherited from either side of your family. In fact, more than 200 different genes regulate hair growth. This also means that hair loss experiences can be completely different between siblings and family members.

Male pattern baldness is the leading cause of hair loss in men, affecting 95% of people suffering from hair loss. It’s caused by genetic sensitivity to a by-product of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). If your follicles are sensitive to DHT, then the follicles will get smaller and their lifespans become shorter. Eventually, as a result, the follicles will stop producing hair. This means that there’s usually a pattern of hair loss that’s easy to identify, as hair loss affects certain areas of the head, such as the hairline at the front.

Going BaldIf your hair loss isn’t regular in nature or you have other symptoms, your hair loss may be reversible. This is the case if you’re suffering from a nutritional deficiency. Similarly, your hair loss may have been triggered by a shock or accident (known as telogen effluvium), or it could be caused by a problem with your immune system called alopecia areata. If you’re unsure about the cause of your hair loss or would like advice on the treatment options available to you, speak to your doctor.

To conclude, although only 20% of men notice the signs of hair loss at the age of 20, a serious case of male pattern baldness is likely to show by your mid-20s. If the hair loss affects your confidence, look at the causes of the baldness because your problem may be preventable or reversible. If this isn’t the case, then ask a doctor about your treatment options.