Key Takeaways
- Male hair loss affects up to 80% of men and can begin as early as the late teens. Twenty percent of men start losing hair by age 20, and 50% by age 40.
- Genetics plays the dominant role in men’s hair loss, accounting for about 80% of male pattern baldness. Look to your family history to get an idea of when and how quickly you’ll lose your hair.
- Genes might prime you for hair loss, but it’s a hormone called DHT that makes it happen. DHT causes hair follicles to shrink and produce thinner, shorter hairs — until they sometimes can’t produce any hair at all.
- The sooner you spot hair loss, the better your chances of treatment. Men’s hair loss typically begins with a receding hairline, followed by thinning of the hair on the crown, and eventually progresses (in some men) to baldness.
- Treatment options are available, including TGA-approved medications like finasteride and minoxidil. These can be combined with lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a proper diet, to support overall hair health.
Understanding the Onset of Male Hair Loss
Teenage boys have about 100,000 hairs on their head. It’s a good amount. But for most men, this number will go down as they age — almost always because of their genes.
Hereditary hair loss — what we call male pattern baldness — affects 80% of all men, according to a 2019 review by Sinclair Dermatology.
But because of the nature of genetic hair loss, the change is gradual and often goes unnoticed at first.
So what causes male hair loss in the first place?
Hair follicles, the tiny pockets in the skin that make hair, undergo continuous cycles of hair growth. They grow hair, rest for a while, then replace the old hair with a fresh strand, which is when hair shedding occurs.
With male pattern baldness (also known as androgenetic alopecia), your hair follicles begin to shrink in response to a genetically determined sensitivity to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone.
This ‘follicle miniaturisation’ makes it harder for your hair follicle to produce healthy hair. Instead, you get shorter, thinner hairs. Over time, your follicle might even become incapable of making any hair at all.
If this happens to enough hair follicles, you end up with thinning hair and bald spots. Given that it happens to the vast majority of men, it’s natural to wonder: when, exactly, does hair loss start for men?
Looking for a solution?
When Do Men Start Losing Hair: The Average Age of Onset
Men can start losing their hair as early as their late teens. According to Healthdirect, hair loss affects about 1 in 5 males in their 20s, 1 in 3 males in their 30s, and nearly half of males in their 40s.
| THE AVERAGE AGE OF HAIR LOSS IN MEN | |
| Age | Percentage of men with hair loss |
| 20 | 20% |
| 30 | 30% |
| 40 | 50% |
| 70 | 80% |
Early onset is often a sign that you may experience a faster progression of hair loss.
Learn more about the stages of men’s hair loss.
Progression Timeline: How Fast Does Hair Loss Occur?
Male hair loss usually progresses in a predictable pattern, starting with a receding hairline, followed by gradual hair thinning and crown balding.
Unfortunately, that’s as predictable as it gets.
Since hair loss is typically unique to each person who experiences it, the rate of hair loss can be quite unpredictable.
Some people can experience complete baldness in as little as five years. For others, the process is much slower. It usually takes between 15 and 25 years for a man to go bald.
Factors Influencing Male Hair Loss (and Timing)
Your genes have a big say in whether (and when) your hairline starts to retreat.
In the 2000s, separate studies of Danish aging twins and Australian twins concluded that genetics accounts for about 80% of male pattern baldness. We even know which gene is responsible: the AR gene on the X chromosome.
Men with a family history are much more likely to experience hair loss. And if male relatives — especially parents or grandparents — began losing hair young, you’re more likely to experience early hair loss yourself.
It’s your genes that determine exactly how sensitive your hair follicles are to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) — the hormone known to shrink hair follicles, shorten the growing stage of the hair growth cycle, and cause hair loss.
Our genes have a lot to answer for, but they’re not the only thing that can cause hair loss. Lifestyle factors can also come into play, including:
- Stress — Yep, stress can cause hair loss. Chronic stress can trigger hormonal changes and disrupt the hair growth cycle, leading to increased hair shedding.
- Poor diet — Nutritional deficiency hair loss is a thing. Deficiencies can interfere with your follicles’ ability to grow healthy hair.
- Smoking — Smoking and hair loss are linked. Excessive smoking can restrict blood flow to follicles and increase oxidative stress, disrupting hair growth. Smokers are also more likely to experience advanced hair loss, particularly at a younger age.
Recognising the Early Signs of Male Hair Loss
When men start losing hair, it’s usually so subtle that it’s imperceptible. In these early stages, the most notable features may be more hair shedding during washing or styling.
Luckily for you, hair loss experts have studied male hair loss for so long that we generally have a good idea of the pattern to look out for — what experts call the Hamilton-Norwood Scale of men’s hair loss.
One of the earliest signs of male hair loss is a receding hairline. But don’t confuse it with a mature hairline.
The difference between a mature hairline and a receding hairline is subtle but also simple: a mature hairline recedes about 1 inch, in a straight line, before stopping, whereas a receding hairline usually starts at the temples and keeps going.
At the same time, you may also begin to notice more scalp than usual — typically the result of a thinning crown.
Male hair loss is preventable, as long as it’s caught early enough. Left too long, the damage to your hair follicles may be irreversible, and your hair loss can be permanent.
Managing and Treating Men’s Hair Loss
Men can start losing hair at a discouragingly early age. But if that’s you, you can do something about it.
The fact that you’ve noticed your hair thinning at the crown or receding from your forehead means you’ve taken the first big step towards treating or managing hair loss.
There’s no such thing as a cure for hair loss (yet!), but by combining the best ways to manage hair loss, you can prevent it from getting worse — you may even be able to regrow the hair you’ve lost.
This is where The Hairy Pill® treatment may help. It includes doctor consultations, regular check-ins with a doctor, and medical recommendations for hair loss treatments for men and hair growth treatments for women.
Take our quiz to find out if The Hairy Pill® can help you today.
Hair Loss Medication
Several hair loss treatment options are available in Australia for men struggling with thinning hair.
The most popular treatment for men’s hair loss is the oral medication Finasteride, which works by blocking DHT. According to a 2015 literature review, it has been proven to help halt hair loss.
An alternative treatment is minoxidil, typically administered topically, although it can also be taken orally. Minoxidil helps to boost blood flow around hair follicles, ensuring the delivery of essential oxygen and nutrients.
Hair Growth Supplements
In 2022, researchers conducting a systematic review of 30 studies found that a range of nutritional supplements have been proven effective for select patients with hair loss.
But in general, hair growth supplements are safest and most effective when they address a nutritional deficiency — which is why we always advocate for a more personalised approach.
If you’re concerned that poor nutrition may be affecting your hair, your best bet is to consult your general practitioner and request a blood test. From the results, your GP can prescribe a personalised treatment plan addressing any deficiencies specific to you.
Lifestyle Changes for Healthy Hair
Alongside medical intervention, there are a few lifestyle changes you can make to give your hair a fighting chance.
Let’s start with a healthy and nutritional diet, since your follicles rely on nutrients to thrive and require protein to make hair. Make sure you eat nutritionally-rich whole foods that are high in protein, such as eggs, fatty fish, and nuts and seeds. We’ve even created a list of the best foods for healthy hair to get you started.
Changing your diet won’t deliver an overnight transformation, but it can help your follicles produce thicker, stronger, and healthier hair.
Here are some other lifestyle changes you can make to ensure you nourish your follicles:
- Quit smoking
- Practise stress management techniques, such as medication, deep breathing exercises, yoga, therapy, and exercise
- Make sure you get enough sleep — preferably 7–8 hours a night
- Minimise your use of heat styling tools and harsh chemical treatments
- Swap your regular shampoo for a sulphate-free shampoo
- Massage your scalp to help increase blood flow to scalp hair follicles
- Use a wide-toothed comb on dry hair when brushing.
Advanced medical interventions for severe hair loss
The most effective hair loss treatments are those that are initiated early. But if you feel like you’ve left it too late and you’re starting to notice one too many bald spots, all is not lost!
A hair transplant can be an effective treatment when your follicles are damaged beyond repair. The procedure involves taking skin with healthy hair follicles from one part of your scalp and grafting it onto the bald spots.
According to Sinclair Dermatology, most hair transplants are successful, but it’s no quick fix. It can take up to 9 months for the hair to take root and fill in.
Hair transplants can also be costly and sometimes painful, which is why we always recommend taking early action, if possible.
Starting sooner can help you slow the hair loss and preserve more of your natural hair, potentially saving you from more invasive and expensive solutions later on.
I am starting to bald now. How fast does hair loss happen?
Hair loss is unique to each person who experiences it and is therefore quite unpredictable. Some people will go completely bald in five years. For others the process is much slower. It usually takes between 15 and 25 years for a man to lose all his hair. This uniqueness in hair loss is exactly why our treatment is personalised… everyone is different!
Male hair loss is preventable, as long as it’s caught early enough (left too long and it could be permanent). Start your hair loss treatment today.
Want to know more about male hair loss?
What causes hair loss?
Is hair loss genetic in men?
Can hair loss be reversed?
Can you make your hair grow faster?
How much hair loss is normal?
