Losing hair in your 30s might sound scary, right? Noticing hair loss, which may lead to baldness, can be daunting. However, you can prevent this and lower hair loss by making some changes to your lifestyle. If that doesn’t help, several treatment options are also available to treat hair loss and help with hair regrowth. Learn what causes hair loss in your 30s, prevention, and treatment in this article. For professional advice on Men’s Health, log on to MaleFlows to take charge of your health.
Understanding hair loss in your 30s
Hair loss in your 30s is becoming more common than you think. On average, male pattern baldness is noticed in the late twenties to early thirties. When men reach 50, approximately 50% of men experience some degree of hair loss. The average doesn’t determine the actual number of cases of male baldness. Hair loss can be caused by many underlying factors, some of which have quick and simple remedies. As you hit your 30s and beyond, you may notice hair loss becomes more obvious. Hairlines are moving back, and hair becomes thinner. How quickly this happens depends on the individual and can vary a lot from person to person.
Luckily, many factors causing hair loss are treatable, depending on the underlying cause of hair loss. For example, if your hair is thinning due to hormonal changes or a side effect of prescribed medications, you may be able to treat that by changing your medicine or seeking medical care for managing fluctuating hormonal levels. Once hair loss gets more severe or the follicles have become inactive, you might look for hair transplantation or the latest plasma-rich platelet therapy, which uses your healthy plasma to activate fresh cellular growth in your skin and hair.
Causes and symptoms
Hair loss can occur at any age, but several factors might be behind this, for instance:
- Stress:
Nowadays, many young men work under a lot of pressure; stress from their job, repaying student loans, and everyday life, which makes them lose their cool. Sometimes, this stress can induce a form of hair loss known as telogen effluvium, which is a cycle where hair naturally grows and falls out. Traumatic events or periods of prolonged stress can trigger this phase, which results in hair loss. However, it is not permanent, and symptoms only last for 6 to 9 months before new hair begins to regrow.
- Traction Alopecia:
Some young men may develop this form of hair loss, called traction alopecia, if they prefer particularly tight hairstyles. Some hairstyles, such as man buns, cornrows, and ponytails, apply force on hair follicles that make hair break down, causing the hairline to recede over time. Certain chemicals and hair products also produce the same effect as traction alopecia. Additionally, hair clips and tight headscarves also trigger the same effect of hair loss. If caught early, it can be reversed, and hair can regrow from the affected areas in due time. However, if the hair is repeatedly styled in the same way, it may cause permanent damage to the hair follicles, and traction alopecia may become permanent.
- Alopecia Areata:
This causes patches around the scalp, but it can mean that your hair thins, stops growing, or disappears altogether (even from your eyebrows and facial hair). This is common in older adults, however, it also becomes visible from age 25 to 36, especially if the hair thinning is connected to genetics or an autoimmune disease like lupus, which leads to alopecia. However, the good thing is that it doesn’t kill the follicles, which allows professional therapists to treat those areas with a hair transplant.
- Androgenetic Alopecia:
This form of alopecia occurs due to genetics and hormones. It impacts many people, and 50% of people experience this at some point in their lives. This hair thinning often begins from the hairline above your forehead and is often noticed as a receding hairline or exaggerated widow’s peak.
- Lifestyle factors:
Some lifestyle factors may lead to hair loss, including:
- Genetics: Genetics can be one of the reasons you experience any of the above-mentioned conditions, and any family history of thinning hair or hair loss in young adulthood.
- Hormonal changes: The male sex hormone, testosterone, helps in hair growth. However, as you reach your 30s, it starts turning to DHT, which makes hair follicles shrink over time. This shrinking can make hair thinner, shorter, and less pigmented, and ultimately result in baldness. Other hormonal imbalances, like thyroid conditions, may also cause hair loss.
- Medications and nutritional supplements: Some people take high doses of vitamin A or selenium and find their hair starts to thin.
- Treating medical conditions: Some conditions, such as cancer or underlying infection, or a health condition that may impact scalp health, lead to loss of hair. Hair thinning is a common side effect of some prescribed medications or therapies as well.
- Diet or lifestyle activities: If you don’t eat healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, etc., and smoke, drink excessive alcohol, caffeine, and lack exercise, it can also increase the risk of hair loss.
Recognizing the early signs of hair loss is important for timely intervention, so make sure you regularly check for changes in your hairline, texture, and thickness. For example, these are some important things you should look for:
- Noticeable thinning: Bald spots and thinning of the hair shaft indicate hair loss.
- Lower hair density: This is especially noticeable in specific areas of the scalp.
- Receding hairline: The hairline gradually moves backwards to form a distinct M shape.
- Increased hair shedding: This occurs when excessive hair falls on your pillow, in the shower, or on your hairbrush.
- Widening hair parting: A widening gap or a visible scalp when your hair is parted indicates hair loss.
- Itching or scalp tenderness: It may be on specific scalp areas with thinning or hair loss.
- Increased sensitivity to styling: This happens when hair becomes vulnerable to breakage or falls when you try to style it.
- Slower hair growth: If you notice your hair taking longer to regrow after a haircut, it’s a sign of hair loss.
If you have any of the above-mentioned signs, especially when you’re young, you should seek professional help to resolve the issue.
Prevention and management
Hair loss at a young age may be distressing, but feeling stressed makes it worse. Here are some lifestyle changes that will help you prevent or limit hair loss:
- Keep yourself healthy: Your hair quality usually reflects your lifestyle. Research has found that adopting a healthy lifestyle like regular exercise, sufficient sleep, quitting smoking, etc., helps improve hair health and lower hair loss.
- Maintain a proper diet: Consume a diet that is rich in vitamins D, C, and E, and omega-3 fatty acids. Minerals like zinc and iron support hair health. Research found that biotin, also known as vitamin B7, helps to increase the thickness of hair follicles.
- Manage your stress: Studies found that stress impacts your hair growth cycle, moving hairs out of the growth phase prematurely. That’s why you should manage stress with mindfulness techniques like meditation, counseling, or exercise, to lower hair loss.
- Reconsider your hair styling routine: If you use heated curlers, straighteners, or restrictive hairstyles like tight ponytails or extensions, it could damage your hair. Instead, choose a hairstyle that complements your hair condition and lowers shedding.
- Connect with support groups and communities: Connecting with others who are facing similar changes helps you get emotional support and practical advice on how to understand your hair and how to manage hair loss.
These measures may slow hair loss in your 30s, but you can’t manage factors like genetics and certain medical conditions that make balding inevitable.
If changing your lifestyle doesn’t help with hair loss, you need to seek medical interventions to treat your hair loss. Several treatment options can help fight hair loss, including topical treatments and surgeries. Some of the main options are:
- Finasteride: This prescribed medicine is taken orally. It works by blocking the action of an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. It also prevents further hair loss and encourages regrowth.
- Minoxidil: It is a topical medicine that promotes hair growth and thickening. It is rarely linked with side effects.
- FUE hair transplant: In this procedure, the surgeon extracts individual hair follicles from the back and sides of your head before transplanting them to areas of the scalp with thinning or balding.
Your hair treatment for hair loss depends on different factors like age, gender, medications, and the type of hair loss. So, you must consult with a professional before taking any type of hair loss treatment.
Hair loss in your 30s might be concerning, but improving your lifestyle and recognizing hair loss signs to seek treatment can help you prevent hair loss and accelerate hair regrowth.
Do you need help with hair loss? Visit our men’s health specialist in the Brooklyn clinic to get professional medical help. Our team of medical experts at MaleFlows is committed to assisting you in reaching your wellbeing objectives. We are here to help you at any stage, whether it be with sexual health, mental clarity, or general well-being. We are available to answer your inquiries and give you the information you need. Please use the following methods to contact us:
Contact No.: +1 855-635-6955
Address: 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.
