Hair Loss In Teenagers And 10 Reasons Why It Happens

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• Teenagers may experience hair loss while going through puberty.

• Teenagers develop self-consciousness during adolescence and may take time to accept natural hair loss.

• Clinical issues may cause hair loss in teenagers.

• Prolonged hair loss in teenagers requires medical attention.

• Teenagers may have difficulty coping with hair fall and it may impact their mental health. 

Teenagers undergo a metamorphosis during puberty, both in body and mind. It's normal to shed a couple of strands daily, but increased hair fall in teenagers may indicate underlying medical issues. 

During adolescence, our hormones are in a tizzy. Pair this with lack of proper nutrition, lack of hair care, genetic factors, and you have the most common causes of hair loss. Teenaged girls are often more susceptible than teenage boys to experience noticeable hair loss.

Hair Loss in Teenagers

Teenagers are prone to hair loss because they are going through rapid transformation. Experiencing hair fall, and a newfound self-consciousness makes it difficult to accept it without a valid explanation. 

Hair shedding is a sign of approaching adulthood, a natural mechanism to replace damaged scalp and hair. Plus, teenagers often have nutrition deficiencies, hereditary factors, and even menstrual complications that can cause abrupt hair shedding. 

What leads to Teenage Hair Loss?

Hair loss works differently for both men and women. While both experience puberty, here's why they experience hair fall: 

Teenage Hair Loss and Genes 

Hereditary traits critically influence hair fall over others. A poor history of hairline issues triggers the scalp, making it hard to keep follicles growing. Patients with a hostile genetic history get pattern baldness early in their life (during their teenage years). 

Besides, triggering thinning of follicles, leading to patch formation over the scalp. It creates poor hairline texture, which gradually leads to permanent baldness.

Teenage Hair Loss Caused by Poor Immunity 

Patients with unstable immunity can experience sudden loss of hair. The immune system may attack scalp cells and destroy hair follicles, triggering a rapid shedding of hair. It leads to patch-like formation over the scalp. It is known as alopecia areata, an auto-immune disease with little or no fatality.

Patients can experience hair loss because of lupus, also an auto-immune disorder. Organs or tissues get affected by lupus, leading to inflammation, pain and rapid shedding of hair.

Hair Fall and Lack of Proper Nutrition In Teenagers

The deficiency of the following affects the hairline and triggers shedding:

• Absence of essential nutrients like vitamin-A, vitamin-C, vitamin-D, vitamin-E

• Lack of macronutrients (biotin, folic acid, niacin)

• Low presence of vital minerals (iron, selenium, zinc, potassium, calcium)

• Food allergy and absence of alternative diet to replenish nutrition

Hair Loss and Thyroid disorder In Teenagers

The thyroid is a vital organ responsible for maintaining metabolism in the human body. An unstable thyroid affects the body temperature, affecting the volume of hair. 

It also triggers severe hormonal imbalances, which make the scalp sensitive and triggers the developing follicle, causing rapid shedding. Patients with thyroid disease suffer from low immunity, which affects their overall well-being. 

What is Hair Loss and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in Teenagers?

PCOS is a female reproductive complication where the ovary experiences painful cyst formation on its surface. It leads to irregular and painful menstruation, besides altering natural hormones. Like thyroid problems, PCOS affects the body's metabolism, and causes hair fall

Patients affected with PCOS experience abrupt thinning of hairline along with rapid shedding. To reduce this, patients should consult with dermatologists and gynecologists in tandem.

Hair Loss in Teenagers from Poor Hair Care

Poor management of hair is a factor that can cause massive hair fall. Tight hairstyles lead to traction alopecia (hairline sheds from tensile stress leading to patchy formation).

• Lack of comprehensive haircare to nourish the roots and follicles.

• Poor management leads to dry scalp, making strands brittle, which leads to shedding.

• Damaging scalp pores from the lack of cleansing leads to clogging and increases pathogenic problems around the roots

 Hair Loss in Teenagers from Underlying Medical Conditions

Hair loss can happen as a side effect of undergoing treatment for many disorders. It includes:

• Medications that treat acnes can lead to shedding from drug incompatibility

• Side effects of alopecia areata treatment

• Post-surgical shedding after critical operations or during treatments like chemotherapy for cancer

Hair Loss in Teenagers from Lifestyle Issues

Uniform thinning of hair can happen because of poor lifestyle choices like:

• Chain-smoking

• Excessive alcohol consumption 

• Improper sleep routine

• Lacking proper hygiene

• A junk food habit

• Not staying hydrated

• Prolonged exposure to sunlight

• Exposure to other extreme weather 

Hair Loss  in Teenagers and Mental Health Issues

Patients having trichotillomania have a self-destructive tendency towards one's own hair. For example, patients with anorexia nervosa abstain from eating, which gravely affects overall health. It leads to severe deficiencies, which triggers abnormal shedding of hair. This requires mental health intervention to stop losing hair.

Hair Loss  in Teenagers from Chemical Treatments

Teenagers are no strangers to experimenting with their hair. Applying chemical-based dyes triggers the scalp, leading to loss of hair. It damages the hair root and affects healthy hair growth. While hair straightening, the application of intense heat also trigger hair loss.  

What are the Major causes of Hair Loss in Teenage Girls?

During teenage years, young girls may experience gradually thinning hair that leads to receding hairline and finally permanent hair loss if left untreated.

• Polycystic ovarian syndrome

• Alopecia areata

• Thyroid disease

• Tight hairstyles leading to traction alopecia

• Absence of healthy foods in the diet

• Taking birth control pills (part of PCOS treatment)

• Female pattern baldness

Teenage girls are less prone to hereditary hair loss than teenage boys. 

What are the Major causes of Hair Loss in Teenage Males?

The Major contributing factor for hair loss in teenage boys includes:

• Hereditary hair loss

• Male pattern baldness

• Alopecia areata (immune system disorder)

• Androgenic alopecia (related to male sex hormones) 

Male pattern baldness starts in teenage boys through early signs like:

• You can notice hair loss

• Brittle hair

• Patchy hair loss (symptoms of alopecia areata) 

How to Prevent Hair Loss in Teenagers?

Consult a Dermatologist

It’s crucial to diagnose the underlying condition to treat hair loss. Patients with male pattern baldness show round bald patches. With a fungal infection, patients experience intense itching along with hair loss.

Dermatologists prescribe anti-fungal medication and anti-hair fall drugs (Minoxidil) to improve hair growth. 

Seek Nutritional Remedies To Prevent Hair Loss in Teenagers

Teenagers with anorexia don’t consume a healthy diet. It could trigger hair loss because of an acute deficiency of vital nutrients and essential minerals. Preparing a personalised diet chart helps replenish the deficiency because hair regrowth is proportional to balanced nutrition. 

Take Psychological Counselling 

During teenage years, some develop trichotillomania (a tendency to pull out body hair). Being a psychological disorder, it could happen from severe anxiety or stress, leading to severe hair loss within a brief interval.

Treating trichotillomania requires visiting a mental health professional who can treat the issue over frequent counselling sessions. 

Treat Underlying Medical Conditions

Patients with unwanted hair growth and excessive shedding show polycystic ovarian syndrome. Teenagers with PCOS or having thyroid disease experience a rapid loss of hair.

They damage the hair follicles and affect the hair root. Seeking medical treatments arrests thinning hair and enhances hair growth. 

Practice Holistic Hair Care To Prevent Hair Loss in Teenagers

Proper treatment is necessary to counter hereditary hair loss, androgenetic alopecia and male pattern baldness. It helps hide hair loss, arrests severe hair loss and prevents uniform thinning of hair follicles. 

Hair loss treatment enhances hair regrowth and covers bald patches on the scalp. 

Most Asked Questions on Hair loss in Teenagers

What triggers hair loss in teenagers?

Teenagers can experience hair loss from hormonal imbalance, immune system reaction, anxiety and stress, poor nutrition or scalp infection. 

How much hair loss is natural for a 15-year old boy?

Natural hair loss removes damaged strands and replaces them with new hair follicles. It’s normal to lose around 100 hair strands daily for a 15-year-old boy. 

Why is my teenage daughter experiencing massive hair loss?

Hair fall in teenage girls can happen from tight hairstyles or psychological disorders (trichotillomania). Lack of healthy food in diet also leads to hair thinning, causing a receding hairline.

How much hair fall is natural for teenagers?

Teenagers can lose between 40 to 100 hair strands daily. During teen years, sudden hair loss (over 150 - 200 strands daily) is a sign of health issues. 

How does social media react to teenage hair loss?

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Final words on Hair Loss in Teenagers

Most adults are not comfortable watching loose hair around them. Your teenage kid deserves an explanation on why losing hair is a natural phenomenon. They should receive counselling to prevent any ill impact on overall well-being. 

Besides, new hair follicles simultaneously replace shedding strands to maintain hair volume. If your teenage daughter complains about excessive hair loss, seek clinical help to learn more about any underlying medical conditions.

Reference

https://www.healthline.com/health/teenage-hair-loss#stopping-hair-loss

https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/patients-families/health-library/healthdocnew/hair-loss#:~:text=Hair%20loss%20during%20adolescence%20can,Losing%20hair%20can%20be%20stressful.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/expert-answers/stress-and-hair-loss/faq-20057820

https://www.healthline.com/health/teenage-hair-loss

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/types/alopecia/causes