Hair loss and hair thinning are frightening. That’s a fact. It doesn’t hurt; it causes no physical discomfort, but the scale of psychological consequences it can have is wide.
Still, the fact is, people know little about hair loss and haven’t found the cure for baldness, despite it being such a large part of their lives.
These hair loss statistics and facts are there to break some myths, answer some questions, and hopefully reduce the 2021 stress, keeping more hair on your head.
Top Ten Facts and Balding Statistics in 2021
- Roughly 95% of hair loss in men is caused by androgenetic alopecia.
- Around 50% of all women start losing their hair by the time they are 50 years old.
- Women’s hair loss statistics show that 29% of women with hair loss reported two key symptoms of depression.
- Hair shedding facts indicate that it’s normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs per day.
- Hair loss is a matter of both genetics and epigenetics.
- Hair grows, on average, between 0.2 and 0.7 inches per month.
- Hair loss statistics state that you can start losing your hair as early as 15 or 16.
- Native Americans seem to be immune to hair loss.
- Ponytail hair loss statistics are not a myth.
- Chemotherapy hair loss statistics show that around 65% of patients experience hair loss.
Causes of Hair Loss Statistics You Should Know About
We rarely think about our hair while it’s there. It’s a bit like breathing — you never think about it until you get a cold. So, what can cause your hair to fall out? Let’s find out!
1. Roughly 95% of hair loss in men is caused by androgenetic alopecia.
(American Hair Loss Association)
Androgenic alopecia, otherwise known as male pattern baldness, is responsible for most of the hair loss experience in men. In fact, roughly two-thirds of men will definitely see some hair loss by the time they reach the age of thirty-five.
2. Baldness can be a sign of coronary heart disease risk…
(Medical News Today)
According to balding statistics and data gleaned through multiple studies that in total included roughly 40,000 men. The authors of certain studies claim that the possible link can come from baldness showing increased sensitivity to testosterone, insulin resistance, or chronic inflammation.
3…but the type of baldness matters.
(Medical News Today)
However, the risk is indicated by the extensiveness of the balding and the location. If the baldness is on the top (crown) of the head, then the risk of developing coronary artery diseases is higher.
The risk increases by roughly 48% if there is extensive crown baldness, 36% with moderate, and 18% with mild.
4. Ponytail hair loss statistics are not a myth.
(Harvard Medical School)
Female hair loss and hair thinning are frequently caused by traumatic alopecia. Exposing your hair to extreme heat or hairdressing techniques like cornrowing and braiding that essentially pull your hair.
Bleaching, coloring, and permanent weaves are also common causes of this type of hair loss stats.
5. Hair loss is a matter of both genetics and epigenetics.
(Huffington Post)
Hair loss is primarily a genetic issue and there’s not much that can be done to prevent it.
However, if you’re still wondering how to stop hair loss, consider reducing epigenetic (environmental) factors, such as stress, a hormone imbalance, a poor diet, or direct damage to the scalp.
6. When it comes to traction alopecia, hair loss statistics imply that African American women are more susceptible to it.
(The New York Times)
Traction alopecia can happen when your hair is being pulled too tight for too long, thus inflaming hair follicles.
Crystal Aguh, who is an assistant professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, claims it is the most common form of hair loss in the black community.
General Hair Loss Statistics for 2021
Hair loss is a very common problem that can be caused by a number of different causes, from hereditary to psychological distress. Despite being so common, it is a matter that causes a lot of stress, self-confidence crisis, and something humankind still didn’t find a solution to.
How many people are affected by hair loss? What causes baldness? What percentage of guys lose their hair? Keep reading and discover the answer to these and other frequent dilemmas about balding.
7. Native Americans seem to be immune to hair loss.
(Belgravia Centre)
When talking about hair loss facts, researchers have found that tribes whose ancestry can be traced to the North of the country are seemingly free from androgenic alopecia.
In other words, Native Americans seem to keep their hair for life, for a vast majority of the time.
8. By the age of fifty, 85% of men will have thinning hair.
(American Hair Loss Association)
Hair loss and thinning, caused by androgenic alopecia, can start early. In fact, while a large majority of men will see hair loss by the time they reach fifty, hair loss statistics show that for a quarter of men, this hair loss begins even before they reach twenty-one.
9. You can start losing your hair as early as 15 or 16.
(Bosley)
While it is rare, it is not unheard of for men to start losing their hair when they are teenagers or start noticing that they are going balding at 21. However, while it may seem drastic at first it will probably not be too visible, and will most likely be accompanied by a receding hairline, or slightly thinning hair.
10. Hair loss statistics by country reveal that European men are equally susceptible to balding.
(European Journal of Dermatology)
The study in question included men from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy. With just a slightly lower impact in the UK, the effect was pretty much consistent for all four countries–lowering a man’s confidence.
11. Tattooing your head is a potential solution.
(CBS New York)
The tattoo market has spread to a lot of segments of our lives, although some still see it as taboo. For men that simply want to stick to the Jason Statham/Vin Diesel type of look, micro-pigmentation is an option. It is essentially a tattoo of many small dots on your scalp, meant to make it look like you have a buzz cut.
12. Chemotherapy hair loss statistics show that around 65% of patients experience hair loss.
(The Skin Therapy Letter Journal)
Cancer is certainly the most notorious one on the list of illnesses that cause hair loss. However, the numbers indicate that chemotherapy is not a guarantee that you will lose your hair.
This is important for many people–47% of female patients find hair loss the most traumatic part of chemotherapy.
13. Wearing hats doesn’t cause baldness (and neither does over-shampooing it).
(Huffington Post – Myths)
When you notice your first hair falling out and try to Google it, you will surely run into a number of hair loss facts and myths which have nothing to do with reality. For example, over-shampooing your hair won’t make it fall out – you’re just wasting shampoo. Hats do not, in any shape or form, make your hair fall out.
14. Women’s hair loss statistics show that 29% of women with hair loss reported two key symptoms of depression.
(Brazilian Annals of Dermatology)
It probably comes as no surprise that hair loss is linked to low self-esteem and depression. This data has been acquired from a study that tested 157 women, with a median age of 51.
15. Hair shedding facts indicate that it’s normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs per day.
(Cleveland Clinic)
No need to freak out if you see some hairs on your pillow every morning, or in the shower. A little hair loss is completely normal. In fact, all of us lose somewhere between 50 to 100 hairs per day.
16. Hair density varies between races.
(Journal of Skin Appendage Disorders)
In 2017, a study involving 169 people was published, a study relevant for male pattern baldness statistics by race. This study included 23 Caucasians, 44 men of African descent, and 99 men of Hispanic descent. The results showed that men of African descent had the lowest hair density, followed by Hispanics, and then Caucasians.
17. It is not completely true that bald men have more testosterone.
(Reader’s Digest)
Testosterone is part of male balding. However, when it comes to high testosterone, balding facts indicate that the amount of testosterone is not as important as the sensitivity of the hair follicles to this hormone.
Hair growth and hair thinning studies show that within the body, testosterone converts into a chemical that leads to the shrinking of follicles. This makes the hair become finer and finer until it disappears.
18. Hair grows, on average, between 0.2 and 0.7 inches per month.
(Medical News Today)
If you have ever wanted to know how quickly hair grows, you are at the right place to find out. One of the more interesting hair growth and hair loss facts is that hair grows somewhere between 0.2 and 0.7 inches per month. That’s somewhere between 0.1 and 0.6 millimeters per day.
Hair Loss Demographics — At What Age Does Balding Start?
In order to find out who is most affected by hair loss, we’ve looked into the hair loss rate among different age groups. It turns out that age can be quite indicative of the probability you’ll lose your hair, as well as some other factors.
19. Around 50% of all women start losing their hair by the time they are 50 years old.
(American Hair Research Society)
Hair loss is not reserved for men only. In fact, a large percentage of women start losing their hair at a later age, most likely due to a natural increase in the male hormone (androgen) levels.
20. Hair loss statistics in children show that hair falling out causes 3% of all pediatric office visits.
(American Hair Loss Association – Children)
Hair loss is rarely a natural part of childhood and is most likely caused by scalp ringworm, a natural immune response, or trauma to the scalp. In rare cases, it can also be a response to environmental factors that stress the child, such as divorce and the sudden absence of a father or mother. However, pediatricians have been highly successful in treating these problems.
21. A quarter of all men start balding before they are 21 years of age.
(American Hair Loss Association)
Balding statistics are not fun. Men who suffer from hair loss tend to have this issue affect their relationships and their professional lives. What exacerbates this issue is the fact that 25% of men will start seeing this process begin before they turn 21.
22. Roughly 250 million Chinese people suffer from hair loss issues, as shown by the hair loss statistics in China.
(Global Times)
Chinese men have not dodged the hair loss bullet. According to a Nielsen report that included 1800 men from Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, all aged between 20 and 40, 54% had hair loss.
Another 6% reported “severe hair loss problems.”
23. Hair loss statistics for Australia reveal that 1.5 million Australians face baldness.
(Executive style)
are no joke. In fact, baldness influences a big part of the population. Roughly 45% of all Australian men will see significant hair loss in their lifetime.
24. Hair loss statistics in India indicate that 63.2% of Indian men ages 21 to 61 suffer from various levels of hair loss.
(International Journal of Trichology)
A study involving 1005 subjects, with a median age of 37, showed that hair loss is indeed prevalent on the Indian subcontinent. In fact, almost two-thirds of Indian men suffer from some level of hair loss.
FAQ
What is the best vitamin for hair loss?
(Healthline)
If you have a genetic predisposition towards hair loss, you can’t really prevent it completely. However, many nutritional deficiencies are tied to you losing your hair, and fixing up your diet will stop hair loss caused by vitamin deficiencies. Even if the problem is genetic, you can give your hairline a fighting chance, and slow your hair loss down.
Vitamins such as Vitamin A (found in milk, eggs, and yogurt), B-Vitamins (whole grains, almonds, meat, fish, leafy greens), Vitamin C (citrus), as well as minerals, like iron (found in clams, eggs, red meat) and zinc (spinach, beef, lentils) can make your hair stronger and nicer.
There are a lot of hair loss treatments and products out there that combine these vitamins and boost your system to strengthen the hair follicles and enhance growth.
Is balding reversible?
(Men’s Health Forum)
There is no cure for male pattern baldness, and it can’t be reversed. However, if your hair loss is caused by something else – medication, chemo, stress, trauma done to the scalp – then there is a chance you can get your hair back once the hair loss issue disappears.
If your hair loss has been caused by involutional alopecia (thinning of hair with age) or androgenic alopecia (the most common cause of balding), then you can’t really reverse these issues as much as you can fix them up by getting a hair transplant.
Is hair loss a sign of poor health?
(Everyday Health)
Most of the time, hair loss is completely genetic. However, there are some other factors that can cause your hair to fall out, some of which signify poor health. These are:
- Diabetes
- Thyroid disorders
- Lupus
- Stress
- Chemotherapy
- Various medication
- Autoimmune issues
- Falling estrogen levels after giving birth
- Sudden weight loss
- A lack of protein
- Eating disorders
- Anemia
- Fungal infections
What do dermatologists prescribe for hair loss?
(Pariser Dermatology Specialists)
Every individual is different. A dermatologist will properly diagnose your hair loss, and will give you the appropriate treatment. In order to give you the right type of hair loss treatment, the dermatologist will ask you questions, maybe do a blood test, or inspect your hair and your scalp.
They might prescribe minoxidil, certain laser device procedures, as well as other drugs, depending on what is causing your hair to thin out or fall out.
Conclusion
Hair loss shouldn’t be a dark, shameful mystery. It’s a part of life, and many people deal with this problem. But, we urge you not to deal with it alone — seek a professional opinion.
It can feel scary, but it may just be stress (we’ve had more than enough of that to last as through 2021) and it could be an easily solvable problem.
Our hair loss statistics are there to help you understand just how common this problem is, and maybe teach you a thing or two about hair that you didn’t know before.
Sources:
- American Academy of Dermatology Association
- American Hair Loss Association
- American Hair Loss Association – Children
- American Hair Research Society
- CBS New York
- Cleveland Clinic
- Everyday Health
- Executive style
- Global Times
- Harvard Medical School
- Healthline
- Huffington Post
- Huffington post – Myths
- International Journal of Trichology
- ISHR
- Journal of Skin Appendage Disorders
- Medical News Today
- Medical News Today
- Medical News Today
- Pariser Dermatology Specialists
- The New York Times
- The Skin Therapy Letter Journal
- University of Utah
