A New Age Of Hair Loss: Early Signs of Hair Loss in a Younger Generation

September 3, 2022

Hair loss is affecting younger generations of men and women for reasons that go beyond a family history of balding grandfathers. Keep reading to know how to recognize the first signs hair loss and poor hair health for ways you can help prevent and treat it before it's too late.

Our world is changing quickly and the face of hair loss is changing with it.

Balding relatives are no longer a blueprint to one’s own hair future and a gorgeous mane of hair is not guaranteed to stay lush. What was once a condition we associated with genetics and old age is now becoming a very worrisome and common concern for a generation of men and women, some as young as in their 20s.

Work and pandemic stress, poor diet, lifestyle choices, hormone imbalances and even lack of exercise are among the few possible reasons younger generations are noticing their first signs of hair loss at an early age. As a result, men and women are now looking to science-based hair care solutions and opting for preventative hair loss support, sooner. Read more about the early signs of hair loss, here.

While hair loss signs and symptoms at a young age can be alarming, it’s important to remember that the earlier thinning hair is noticed, the easier it may be to treat. The solution may be as simple as a minor adjustment in diet or reducing stress. Regardless, to understand why hair loss happens it helps to first have a basic understanding of how hair grows to know how you can best proactively help support your strands using science instead of snake oils.

The Hair Growth Cycle

Before we get into what makes your hair fall out, we think it’s worth taking a moment to understand how your hair grows. Basically your hair goes through four stages and, when healthy, the phases of your hair are synchronized to establish a healthy balance of new and old hair at all times :

Anagen (growing)
Catagen (transition)
Telogen (resting)
Exogen (shedding)

Over time with age the length of the growing stage decreases and our hair becomes weaker and thinner after each cycle. That’s why it’s never too early to rethink your hair care routine.

1. ANAGEN

Growing phase.

2-7 years

The key to fuller hair starts here. About 80% of hair follicles are in this stage at any given time. It's important hair receives the building blocks it needs in this phase to grow strong, full hair from the root.

2. CATAGEN

Transition phase.

2-3 weeks.

During this phase, a portion of your hair is not growing and detaches itself from the blood supply. The follicles shrink and the bulb separates from the follicle. At any given time, about 3% of hair is in this stage.

3. TELOGEN

Resting phase.

Approx. 3 months.

New hair typically starts to grow underneath the hair that has detached itself from the blood supply (ie that’s in the catagen stage). Eventually, this new growth will replace that hair. About 15% of hair is in this stage.

4. EXOGEN

Shedding phase.

2-5 months.

Don't panic, it’s normal to shed 50-100 hairs a day during this phase. This is part of the hair growth cycle to make room for new hair. After this last phase the cycle repeats itself to make way for new growth.

Early Signs of Hair Loss

Although balding is typically associated with ageing men, according to recent studies an increasing number of millennials in the United States say they’re experiencing hair loss in younger age groups than ever before - especially women.

It is estimated that more than 40% of women and 85% of men will experience noticeable hair loss before the age of 50. The most significant cause of hair loss in women is female-pattern hair loss (FPHL), which affects about one-third of susceptible women (approx. 30 million women in the United States). But don't stress, it won't do your hair any good. Most forms of hair loss are treatable and reversible, especially if you know how to spot the signs of hair loss early.

Signs of Hair Loss

Ask yourself: Does your hair feel different than it used to? Is there a large amount of hair on your pillow when you wake up in the morning or in your hair brush?

Visual cues are a great way to determine if you’re beginning to lose more hair than normal.

Some early signs of hair loss may also be:

Excess loose hair in the shower/floor
Thinning hair at the temples and/or crown
Loss of overall hair density (feels less full)
Fallout of eyebrow hair
Hair is more oily between washes
Family history of hair loss
Thinner ponytail/ bun
Wider part
Receding hairline at the temples
Irritated scalp from color processing
Seeing scalp through hair

Studies have shown that not only is hair loss affecting both men and women earlier, it’s also happening for a variety of non-hereditary or age-related reasons as well.

Depending on the underlying condition, poor hair health and fallout can happen at any age to anyone and doesn't happen overnight, which is why it’s important to think about supporting your strands early with proactive lifestyle choices, hair care serums, shampoos and supplements.

Causes of Hair Loss

Hair loss can be discouraging and what's worse is it can happen for a variety of reasons and often without any warning, which is especially disheartening if you are only in your 20 or 30's. Although hair loss tends to be more common in men due to genetics, there's now a long list of reasons researchers are finding that may be affecting the future health of men and women’s hair, pushing strands to shed earlier and pushing young-adults to seek out solutions.

For younger women, thinning hair is usually a result of poor nutrition, stress, lack of exercise, or hormonal changes, like changes in birth control. For younger men, thinning hair and hair loss is usually a result of androgenetic alopecia, but it can also be brought on by poor nutrition, excess drinking and/or smoking, hormones and stress.

Men also have more DHT (the hormone responsible for hair loss) than women in their body. Since hair loss is a result of the hair follicles’ sensitivity to DHT, thinning hair and hair loss often begins at an earlier stage for most men than women. Thankfully there's a powerful plant called Saw Palmetto that can block this hormone, sold in supplements like these.

Read the most common hair loss causes below to determine if you should start fighting back against fallout with preventative hair loss treatments and lifestyle changes.