Hair loss in young men

Hair loss which is medically known as ‘alopecia’, means thinning of hair, particularly in scalp. It occurs in more than 60 % men in any stage of life and hair loss in young men is not uncommon. Many celebrities like Yul Brynner, who acted as the king in the famous film ‘The King and I’, had lost hair in young age.

Mostly the cause of hair loss is a combination of genetic and male hormone (Androgen) factors and the condition is medically termed as ‘Androgenetic alopecia’. In young men hair loss occurs by  the hair receding from lateral sides followed by balding on top of the scalp.

Hair loss in young men

Hairs grow on almost all human body parts excepting the palm and sole of feet. Hairs are made up of a protein known as keratin and they undergo three phases of development comprising of the long growing phase; anagen, a short transitional phase; catagen and a brief resting phase; telogen.Hair loss begins when the rate of falling exceeds the rate of hair growth. Of more than fifty thousand hairs on scalp, about one hundred hairs mature daily and are replaced by the new hairs.

What are types of hair loss?

There are many types of hair loss and some of them are; Involutional alopecia in which excess of hairs rest; in the telogen phase and others consequently decrease in number and shorten due to the phase specific characters. Androgenetic Alcopia is another type and it caused by the genetic and hormonal characters. Alopecia areata ,also known as patchy hair loss is common among children and young adultas.Total baldness is the consequence of this type of baldness but the condition recovers by 90 percent of cases in a couple of years. Telogen effluvium starts with the thinning of hair over the scalp due to disturbance of the normal life cycle of hair. In this case more hairs fall or go in resting phase than the growing hairs.

What are the causes and treatment of hair loss in young men?

Male hormone (Androgen), is on the forefront of Androgenetic alopecia and It is the most frequent cause of hair loss in young men and its onset can be as early as twenty years of age. In this type of young men hair loss, the hairs start receding from lateral sides followed by the appearance of bald patch on the top of scalp.Heridiatery factors along with the androgen play a major role.

The male hormone; androgen is not directly responsible for the condition but it is due to  the enzymatic messaging according to the intrinsic genetic code, which causes the hair loss in young men. Surgical grafting is the best available treatment for hair loss but the least recommended one for young men on account of premature pattern of loss which is subject to change in future. Use of micronutrient supplements to make up probable deficiencies of vitamins or minerals along with use of medicated shampoos is recommended.