Men’s Hair Loss: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and When to Act

By Your Health Magazine

What can hair loss be seen as abnormal for men? And once you discover you need help, who should you approach, and what treatments can be of benefit? Let’s discuss the best ways to deal with hair loss.

Men often have to face hair loss.

Hair loss ranges from younger to older men and in all cases can affect a man’s confidence.

Everyone loses hair; it’s natural, but sometimes it’s excessive and can be due to, perhaps, genetics or other factors.

So, what is the difference between, let’s say, normal hair loss and something that is more serious?

The important thing is to find out what is seen as excessive or too much hair loss to enable you to make decisions that would correct the loss as quickly and effectively as possible.

1. Understanding Normal Hair Loss

Hair growth has a definite cycle. This means that for 2 to 7 years, hair usually enters a growth cycle.

After the growth cycle, there is a period where hair growth slows down before it is shed as part of the natural replacement process of hair.

Shedding approximately 50 to 100 hairs daily is perfectly natural.

After the slow growth phase, the hair growth stops and enters a resting period for a few months.

After that the hair is shed, but it is part of the normal process and nothing to be worried about.

Some other factors that can contribute to temporary hair loss are diet, stress, or illness. These, however, are all aspects that can be worked on.

2. Signs Your Hair Loss May Not Be Normal

Now we know that shedding up to approximately 100 hairs a day is normal, but what if there are other more serious signs?

But if you are losing more hair than normal, for example, you detect patches with no or little hair on your scalp.

Or you might even detect that your hairline is receding, and it’s becoming more and more visible.

These changes could be related to, for example, male pattern balding and can start at a very young age due to genetics.

If the males in your family have struggled with balding or hair loss in the past, there is a high probability of it being carried over through generations.

There are other signs that can crop up, like skin rashes or redness, that may indicate other problems that may also be the cause of hair loss.

However, thankfully most of these types of skin problems can be treated but should never be ignored.

It remains important, with hair loss at any age, to speak to a professional to ease your mind and make informed decisions.

3. Common Causes of Abnormal Hair Loss

As mentioned, the most common cause of hair loss is usually male pattern baldness.

We often see men with hair starting to thin at the crown or otherwise a hairline that recedes. Both these hair loss patterns are usually related to hormones or genetics.

Unfortunately, some medications, low minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients can also cause hair loss or thinning of hair.

Sometimes hair can break or shed due to hair treatments like bleaching or wearing your hair in a ponytail or cornrows.

4. When and How to Take Action

Consulting someone in the know after discovering you are losing hair at an abnormal speed is highly recommended.

The ideal person would be a professional, for example, a dermatologist or someone that specializes in hair transplantation.

A dermatologist will examine the hair and scalp and analyze growth patterns to identify hair loss problems before prescribing a treatment plan.

These specialists could also order blood work, discuss family history, and other underlying health issues.

The sooner action is taken, the better. If the reason for the loss is detected at an early stage, it might reduce hair loss or stop it altogether.

Once you notice excessive hair loss, don’t waste any time; there are plenty of treatment options available.

5. Available Treatment Options

To help slow or even reverse hair loss, there are good treatments available that are approved by doctors.

Some medications come in liquid form or foam and others in pill form, all of which are commonly used medications.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments, laser therapy, or hair transplants are some of the therapies used by professionals to treat hair loss.

Other smaller changes can also help to some extent. For example, looking after your health by reducing stress, eating healthy fresh foods, and handling your hair with extra care. Visiting a hair transplant clinic can also be a valuable step for those considering more advanced options.

There are hair products available without prescription that might help to some extent, but getting the opinion of someone with extensive knowledge is preferable, such as consulting a specialist at a hair transplant clinic like Dallas Hair Transplant.