Teenage Hair Loss, Everything We Know and Everything You Should

When the discussion of hair loss comes up, most of us have the mental image of older men and women with potentially patchy hair, or maybe even a medical condition that may be causing the rapid hair loss. Very rarely is it that we imagine hair loss in teens, especially when we are directly referring to early signs of balding at 18 years old. The unfortunate truth is teenage hair loss is a real issue and it is beginning to impact more and more people, there are people out there who are balding at 16!

What causes hair loss in teens?

Before we even begin discussing the potential remedies on how to stop teen hair loss, the most important thing is understanding WHY we have girls and boys balding at 18 and even seeing that number go as low as balding at 16! Similar to people in the typical age bracket, there are a number of genetic and outside factors that have been leading to an increase in teens asking, “why is my hair falling out as a teenager?” Though some of these factors impact certain genders more than others, the NUMBER ONE between the two is medication-related hair loss.

In 2022, we’re seeing a record number of younger adults and teens on prescribed medications to treat everything from acne to depression. With these medications come a slew of side effects, many of which have been, or can be, hair loss.

In girls, another cause can be natural in the form of hormonal imbalances. Throughout puberty, the body is undergoing constant change and more so for women/girls, these changes can lead to hormonal imbalances causing hair loss.

A secondary issue that may lead to teenage hair loss is the impact of disease. While we’ve covered and discussed in the past the impact that these may have on adults, teens are facing the same problems. Rises in cancer in our younger population along with thyroid conditions, diabetes, and heart disease have all led to spikes in hair loss at a younger age.

In addition to genetics, the other typical staples of hair loss causes have been showing up more and more in the younger population. These include but aren’t limited to both alopecia and trichotillomania, with the latter being a psychological condition in which an individual pulls out their own hair. Fortunately, similar to the older population, these young people do have choices and options to combat hair loss.

Treating hair loss in teens

Battling hair loss has been going on potentially since the beginning of mankind. Due to this fact, we have a head start on helping these young individuals maintain their proper youth, using some of the same techniques we use for their older contemporaries. For younger teens, we don’t suggest medical treatments initially but more so diet changes which can accomplish a lot in the fight against hair loss. If a change in diet and lifestyle don’t help, our next step is to begin customizing a plan unique to that teen! A unique plan can provide benefits generic hair loss treatments don’t.