Though most of us think of balding as something that strikes in middle age, the truth is that male pattern hair loss often starts early and develops slowly. The good news is that if you’ve noticed thinning hair or balding and are in your 20s, treatments are available that can slow or stop the process.
At Honest Hair Restoration in Bradenton and Tampa, Florida, our board-certified physician Martin Maag, MD, offers a variety of effective hair restoration options. Our team uses nonsurgical and surgical therapies to restore your hair and prevent future hair loss as you age.
As a medical doctor, Dr. Maag reviews your overall health and orders lab work and other tests to screen for underlying medical problems that might contribute to your hair loss. Keep reading to learn what you need to know about balding in your 20s and the therapies available to help.
As a man in your 20s, you might feel like you’re too young to start losing your hair. But the truth is that hair loss can begin as early as your teen years and continue throughout your life. In fact, up to 80% of men experience hair loss at some point in their life.
People start to lose their hair early for different reasons, including taking certain medications, undergoing some medical treatments, like radiation, or having nutritional deficiencies. But for most men, hair loss is caused by a combination of hormonal and genetic factors.
This condition, called male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, can affect both men and women, though more men than women. The condition triggers hair loss that can start as early as the mid-teens for about 20-25% of men with the condition.
Researchers have found that when your androgen hormones, like testosterone and DHT, are out of balance, your hair starts to thin and fall out. Other factors can increase your hair loss, including:
There’s no cure for male pattern baldness, but different treatments can help slow and stop hair loss—especially when started early.
Before recommending a specific treatment protocol, you meet with Dr. Maag for a personalized hair loss consultation. At this appointment, your physician reviews your medical history, family history related to hair loss, and examines your scalp.
With this information in hand, Dr. Maag creates personalized hair restoration recommendations based on your unique hair loss and any coexisting conditions you may have. Effective therapies may include:
For some patients in their 20s, Dr. Maag may suggest using custom-blended, prescription and prescription-strength medications. These treatments can be oral or topical, and depending on the blend, they can trigger hair regrowth, promote hair retention, or slow hair loss in about three to six months.
One of our favorite treatments for men in their 20s struggling with hair loss is a type of regenerative medicine called platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. This all-natural treatment takes the platelets from your blood, which contain growth factors.
Dr. Maag injects the platelets into areas with thinning hair to stimulate your body’s natural cell production and increase hair growth by stimulating the hair follicles. After your PRP session, your scalp begins to grow new hair.
FDA-approved low-level laser therapy (LLLT) offers another nonsurgical way to stop hair loss. This therapy uses near-infrared energy to stimulate blood flow to your scalp, promoting cellular regeneration to boost hair growth—especially when combined with other hair loss treatments, like medications.
If your hair loss is advanced and you want a permanent solution, Dr. Maag may recommend a hair transplant. At Honest Hair Restoration, we add thickness in thinning areas using advanced NeoGraft® technology.
We take donor follicles from scalp regions with strong hair growth and remove individual hair grafts for transplantation using follicular unit extraction (FUE) instead of a large strip of your scalp, so you won’t have a big scar.
To promote the best hair growth possible, Dr. Maag may combine your hair transplant with PRP injections. This stimulates hair growth in the transplant area, so you have the fullest head of hair possible.
You don’t have to go bald in your 20s. Learn how the medical management at Honest Hair Restoration can help you keep a fuller head of hair by scheduling a consultation online or over the phone at a Florida office nearest you.
