Going bald at 20s, how to deal with it? [New research 2023]
Believe it or not, up to 70% of men start losing hair at some point in their lives. Though you may feel like you are too young for going bald at 20, hair loss actually can begin as early as 15 or 16 years old. Thus, this is a problem that needs to be addressed and taken care of.
If you are balding at 20s and don’t know how to cope with it, you definitely need to read this!
We will help you to get answers to the following questions:
- Is it normal to lose hair in your 20s?
- What percentage of men goes bald at 20s?
- Why are you losing hair in your 20s and can you reverse balding?
- What are the stages and signs of balding at 20?
- How to cope with going bald?
- How do I go bald in style?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal to lose hair in your 20s?
Going bald at 20 or in your teens may come gradually and it normally starts with thinning hair or a receding hairline. But is it normal for hair to thin in your 20s? One of the main causes of going bald in your early 20s is believed to be Male Pattern Baldness. This genetic condition, also called Androgenic alopecia, affects both men and women of different ages. Men being in the state of MPB can suffer from hair loss as early as at their 20s or even at their teens. This is a widespread and quite normal situation.
Still and all, the causes of baldness are very individual and, in many cases, people are affected by hair loss as a result of bad and unhealthy habits. Thus, we will rebound to the individual reasons for hair loss later in this article, to clarify, whether balding is normal in certain circumstances or not.
What percentage of men goes bald at 20s?
Have you noticed that men started to lose hair sooner than before? Hair loss and receding hairline have become a widespread issue nowadays, which many of us try to deal with. Let’s look at some statistics! “What age do men go bald?” - Normally the likelihood of hair loss mainly increases with age. In the chart below you can see the proportion of men with noticeable hair loss at different ages:
As per a self-reported survey of 4,000 students at Tsinghua University in Beijing, nearly 60% of the participants reported they were losing a significant amount of hair. What is even more noteworthy, 40% of the participants reported they were quite aware of their receding hairline, while 25% of the respondents didn’t even notice the hair loss until they were told by family members or friends. Which is quite alarming as by the time people at their 20s notice the hair loss they already have a condition.
It’s time to clarify what percentage of men go bald in their 20s. NHS states that 25% of men suffering from male pattern baldness (MPB) start losing hair before they reach the age of 20-21. Moreover, it affects around 50% of men by the age of 50.
Alopecia Areata, another type of hair loss, which causes bald patches on the scalp, is very prevalent in people at the age of 15 to 29. On average, it affects every 2 people out of 1000 in the UK.
Let’s also take a look at some interesting statistics regarding ethnicity, race and baldness to find out what race gets bald most. It’s clear that male pattern baldness can affect all races and ethnicities. However, there are some differences. For instance, Caucasian men have recorded the highest rates of MPB, followed by African Americans, Chinese and Japanese men. Native American males’ baldness rates are among the lowest in the world.
Moreover, here are 11 countries with the baldest population, according to the statistics.
Baldness rates by country:
- The Czech Republic ranks first in the list of these countries with 42.79 % of men going bald
- Spain has the second-highest number - 42.6 %
- Germany - 41.2 %
- France - 39.24 %
- The UK has the fifth-highest count - 39.23 %
- The USA - 39.04% bald or balding rate
- Italy - 39.01%
- Poland - 38.34%
- Netherlands - 37.93%
- Canada - 37.42%
- Russia - 32.39%
Why are you losing hair in your 20s and can you reverse balding?
As stated before, there are numerous individual causes of hair loss in young men which can lead either to a permanent or temporary hair loss. In some cases, temporary hair loss can be stopped, while there is no way to reverse the permanent balding.
Want to know “Why do men go bald?”, we have identified some of the most common causes of hair loss below:
1. Male Pattern Baldness/ Hereditary
MPB is one of the main causes of going bald young. MPB can be inherited from either side of a person's family and it affects 98.6% of men and 64.4% of women. In this genetic condition, men start suffering hair loss as early as in their teens and 20s. This is a normal situation and, unfortunately, there is no cure for MPB. Consequently, MPB causes permanent loss of hair.
2. Poor Nutrition and diet
Poor nutrition, crash diets and low levels of biotin, iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, Vitamin A, B-complex vitamins can lead to hair loss and receding hairline. Thus, make sure you eat healthy food and take enough vitamins to improve the quality of your hair.
3. Weight loss
In certain cases, weight loss can lead to temporary hair loss. This condition is called Telogen Effluvium when physical stress forces the hair follicles to move into an inactive stage.
4. Stress
Thinning hair and hair loss can also be brought on by stress. Young people are under high pressure these days which can bring to long-term stress. A lot of graduate students, for example, get temporary baldness during their studies. Stress-related hair loss can be temporary but it can also speed up other forms of hair loss, such as Male Pattern Baldness.
5. Alcohol
Immoderate use of alcohol is another cause for balding at 20. Doctors recommend considering how much you drink and keeping alcohol use to moderate levels. Usually, this form of hair loss is also considered to be temporary.
6. Smoking
Statistically, two-thirds of all smokers in the UK start smoking in their teens and it’s not a coincidence, that many doctors talk about the influence of smoking on hair loss in men in their early 20s.
7. Medical condition
Several medical conditions such as thyroid disease, alopecia areata (an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles) and scalp infections like ringworm are also believed to be a cause of hair loss. After a successful treatment, there is a chance your hair will grow back.
As you can see, the Male Pattern Baldness is one of the most widespread forms of hair loss. MPB causes permanent hair loss, which can not be reversed. However, this is a normal situation unlike other forms of hair loss which are connected with stress, smoking, immoderate usage of alcohol, poor nutrition and diets, fast weight loss and certain medical conditions. In order to understand the exact cause of your baldness, it is highly recommended to consult a doctor.
What are the stages and signs of balding at 20?
Hair loss is a continuous process and it’s quite normal to lose between 50 and 100 hair every day. However, there are some signs of balding at 20 (they are the same at the age of 18, 20, 22 etc), which will help understand whether you are losing a normal amount of hair or are going bald:
1. Gradual thinning
Hair thinning, which is the minor to moderate hair loss, appears on top of the head and around the temples. As a result, these parts appear to be thinner spots on your head. This may or may not be a sign of baldness caused by Male Pattern Baldness. However, it happens gradually, thus, in case you notice it sooner, you’ll be able to pinpoint the causes and have a successful treatment in case it’s not MPB condition.
2. Patchy bald spots
This form of hair loss normally affects only the scalp. You will notice sudden bald spots in specific areas, normally on your head, the cause of which is normally an autoimmune reaction.
3. Sudden loosening of hair
4. Full-body hair loss
5. Patches of scaling
This can be accompanied by broken hair, redness and swelling.
These were 5 main signs of going bald and if you are also interested in the stages of balding, here you go!
According to the Hamilton–Norwood scale, an assessment scale used by doctors to measure the severity of baldness, Male Pattern Baldness has 7 main stages:
Stage 1. In the first stage of MPB, there is no significant recession of the hairline.
Stage 2. In this stage, a slight recession of a hairline is noticed around the temples.
Stage 3. A deep recession becomes visible around the temples, which resembles M, U or V shape.
Stage 3 Vertex. A severe hair loss appears on the top of the scalp (the vertex).
Stage 4. The 2 areas gradually become larger than the previous stage, but they are still separated with a band of hair.
Stage 5. The band of hair, connecting the balding areas, starts to narrow and creates a hairline called “horseshoe”.
Stage 6. Only very thin hair remains on the crown.
Stage 7. In the last stage, the top of the scalp is completely bald and only a band of fine hair is noticed around the side of the head.
How to cope with going bald?
Now that you have learnt all the necessary information about the causes, stages and signs of hair loss, you are most probably interested in how to cope with balding. Normally, for most of the people, who just started to lose hair, the most preferable resolution is reversing balding. But, before trying any type of treatment, it is appropriate to see a doctor in order to get proper professional advice and avoid possible health problems in the future.
Unfortunately, in many cases, hair loss can’t be reversed and you should make a decision: either hide the baldness or shave the hair off and cope with hair loss at a young age. There are some well-known ways of hiding the fact of losing hair, such as wearing hats or keeping your hair short, but none of them is a permanent solution in this state. Besides, women proved many times embracing baldness looks far better than embracing a comb-over. Being confident is the key to deal with balding!
Let’s see what women advise their dads, friends and boyfriends going bald:
Users from Reddit and Quora
“It almost always looks 100% worse than if they just accepted the fact that they're bald and either shaved their head or rolled with it. I have never seen a dude with a combover that looked good, most guys who go the wig/toupee route tend to get super cheap ones that look super cheap, and those hair fiber spray things just look ridiculous and weird. Nothin wrong with being bald. Just be bald.”
“Bald man here, I think it's tragic. Just shave it all off and embrace the new you. Or don't try to hide it and rock your inner Patrick Stewart. My bald friends that do this all wear beanies and hats ALL the time. I think they're not fooling anyone but themselves. I get it though, it's not easy to come to terms with it.”
“I don't really hold it against them, but some methods are objectively worse than others. My dear father, for example, had a combover for about 3 decades until my mother convinced him to give it up and just look like an old dude.”
“They should do what they need to do to feel comfortable with themselves. Everyone wants to feel good about their appearance”
“Honestly, I'd never judge a guy for that. Balding is in genetics and if reversing/stopping makes you confident and happy, I'd cheer you on. Hell, if my partner had this problem, I'd even offer to pay for some of it even though I am absolutely certain he could rock the bald look with ease.”
“ When I was younger I didn’t find bald men attractive and now that I’m older I do. Obviously this isn’t for every woman, we all have different tastes.”
“We're not blind. Own whatever hair you have left. Style your head to make it look good. If that means a clean shave, that's fine. Need to cut it super short- great. Combovers are not for anyone under 50. I'd rather have my other half have next to no hair than try to hide the fact he's losing his hair.”
“I can't say I relate to that specifically, but I definitely can relate to feeling self-conscious about something about myself and trying to correct it. I know some guys who've gone through this and they honestly look tons better without hair. At the end of the day they should do what's gonna make them feel most comfortable in their body, but I don't think embracing the baldness is as bad as they might think it is.”
“Women do the exact same thing, but on a different level. I spend money on hair extensions. Some people think it's stupid, I do it for self-esteem.”
“If a guy wants to use Rogaine or get hair transplants, I'm not judging. That's all fine. If he wants to shave it all off, that's fine too. I'm not so much into the middle-ground solutions: combover, wig, or hair fibers. It's way too much daily maintenance and fuss. Not being able to jump in a lake or swimming pool and risk messing up the 'do, not being able to pop on a bike helmet and go for a cruise, having to shelter from any significant amount of wind or rain... that's no fun. I think you just gotta make a decision either way. Either fix it for real with hair transplants or hormone blockers or buzz it off.”
If you want to discover whether women find bald men attractive, you can read our previous article.
Men’s advice:
Users from Reddit and Quora
“Stanley Tucci, Moby, Billy Corrigan, Patrick Stewart, Gandhi, John Malkovich. All bald men without huge muscles or testosterone. All look great. there are MANY more. it's not what you have or what you haven't, it's what you do with it.”
“What you need to realize is that being bald IS YOU. You are a bald man. You sound like you need to accept who you really are, and not what you think you are or who you want to be.”
“Some people here will tell you to compensate by working out, or being financially successful, or dressing better. You don't necessarily have to do that. Just learn to be comfortable in your own skin and it will show. Deep down women are attracted to confidence, not your hair or money.”
“Take balding as a message from the universe that you will look better if you just shave off all those scrabbly remains an go au natural !”
“I wonder if they have mirrors in their house. Virtually everything that can be done to hide balding looks way worse than balding ever could, and in my general experience surgeries/treatments are really ineffective, but men always seem to think they've been effective (which again makes me wonder about the mirrors). I also kind of don't get it? Lots of very sexy men, who are largely thought to be sexy by society at large, are bald so I don't quite get where the insecurity comes from. Of course, lots of not-sexy men are also bald, but it's not as though the baldness is why they're not sexy. It's not like Danny Devito would suddenly become a heartthrob if he had a head full of hair.”
“I'll say this. Shaving your head early in age can be great because now you get to develop your confidence, persona, character as is, rather than have to make this big change later in life. Right now, you are amorphous, and can grow up as a confident, stylish, interesting man where your hair is set - rather than have your hair deteriorating slowly with a persona and image already super established.”
“Dude, I'm the quiet, introvert, and dorky type myself, and I love going bald since the start of the year. Wish I had done so a lot sooner. I feel a lot better about myself as it has eliminated one of my biggest insecurities about my physical appearance, and has been an improvement to my self-esteem. Honestly, I would say don't worry about the bald stereotypes, and just do you. Help define what it means to be bald rather than it defining you.”
Let’s also bring to light some benefits of shaving your head:
5 Benefits of shaving your head
1. Save time and money
2. No more bad hair days
3. Less care
4. More confident and reliable look
5. More manly look
How do I go bald in style?
First things first! Our step by step ultimate guide of 2023 will help you to find out “How to go bald for the first time?” and “What is the best way to go bald?”.
Well, if you have already made the decision of shaving your head and know how to do it, it’s time to discover how to go bald in style.
Here comes to help our latest research!
We have recently surveyed 1000 women to find out their opinion on what should one work on to rock his bald look. Here are the results:
- 46.2% of women advise bald men to be more confident
- 36.8% suggest growing a nice piece of beard
- 12.7% recommend going to the gym and concentrate on having a fit and masculine body
- 10% of them think head tattoos can help to rock the bald look
- 8.8% find fashion look will help bald men to be in style
- 6.4% of women think bald is sexy and rocks by itself!
For more helpful tips you can check our latest article regarding the bald men fashion tips and trends in 2023․
Frequently Asked Questions
In the last part of our article, we will answer the most common questions we get.
How long does it take to go bald?
This is very individual, however, on average it takes 15-25 years to go completely bald. Only in extreme cases, men go bald fast within 5 years.
Is balding genetic?
The hereditary factor in baldness is more dominant on the woman's side. This is because the androgen receptor is on the X chromosome and a man inherits the X chromosome from mom. However, other researches also state that men whose father is bald are more likely to develop MPB (Male Pattern Baldness).
If my hair is receding will I go bald?
If you have the signs mentioned above or if you are in a particular stage of balding according to Hamilton–Norwood scale you are most probably suffering Male Pattern Baldness and will lose your hair gradually and slowly.
Is balding a sign of low testosterone?
James B. Hamilton’s studies showed that high levels of men hormone called testosterone can lead to baldness.
According to this very popular theory, bald men have higher levels of the men hormone testosterone. This makes them more masculine and increases sex drive.
When to shave your head if going bald
The sooner, the better! Women recommend men shave their heads when they notice receding hairline and bald patches on the top of the scalp. Women appreciate the confidence in men and prefer it when men shave their heads instead of hiding the fact of losing hair.
Can hats make you go bald?
“Does wearing a hat make you go bald?” - the answer is no!
Normally, hats or caps can’t cause alopecia, since they don’t provide too much tension. However, if the hat is significantly tight, it can lead to broken hair follicles. As a result, some bald patches may appear which will be temporary, and the hair will grow back once the stress is removed.
The Final Say!
We do really hope we managed to answer all your questions and helped you to make the right decision! Don’t be scared of going bald at 20, 25, 30. It is not the end of the world, you are perfect just the way you are, so just embrace yourself and do whatever you think and feel is right!
You can also join our Bald Brotherhood community on Facebook!
Great article.
Embrace the baldness bros.
No reason to panic and resort to some dht blockers which will sooner or later mess up your whole endocrine system.
I started losing hair since 17, it wasn’t aggressive then but now at 26 it’s progressing rapidly. Thought of doing topical fin but the risks explicitly outweighs the benefits. So decided to go bald.
At the end of the day, it’s just some dead cells!
Just shave it off.
The information here has been very helpful to me as am 21 years old and I have already started going bald I’ve tried all medicines and various ways to combat it and honestly all that ever did was give me more insecurities in light of this new information I’m willing to and am going to embrace being bald and help define what it means to go bald I have mastered up some confidence and I just hope it sees me through regardless of how perilous the path ahead maybe and to top it all off am a first year student at the copperbelt University in zambia 🇿🇲 I already feel a sense of relief like "job well done it was long overdue " type of feeling I hope more people get to realise this and embrace who they really are cause the stress is real, the blow to confidence and self esteem is astounding and the overall impact is just too much coming from someone who has suffered from balding at young age it really makes you have a timid spirit which is not nice at all all the best to my brothers and sister out there 😊 going through the same thing my name is Abraham mwape saidi and this is my resolve .
Great encouragement
Very knowledgeable article. i appreciate the effort which the author has put in. Thanks for sharing.
thanka alot