7 major causes of hair loss at a young age
Lots of people assume that hair loss occurs among older people only, but hair thinning and falling out among younger generations is more common. It is estimated that 20% of men experience noticeable hair loss at the age of 20 and 25% are troubled by the same issue at the age of 30. Why are young people experiencing more hair loss than usual? If you are now in your 20s or 30s but have started noticing some of your hair falling out, try to figure out the cause based on this post. If you haven’t suffered from hair loss, stay alert and change your lifestyle to prevent hair loss at a young age.
1. Drinking Soft Drinks
Young people are the targeted market of soft drinks brands, but as a matter of fact, many health issues are associated with the consumption of soft drinks. It has been proven by studies that soft drinks are the cause of health issues such as obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis and hair loss. Sugar and aspartame are the harmful substances contained in soft drinks that could result in hair loss.
According to the Food & Drug Administration, aspartame has a number of adverse effects including hair loss. It’s well-known that sugar increases the risks of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes, but it’s rarely known sugar also leads to hair loss by affecting cortisone levels that could weaken your ability to deal with stress as stress is a major cause of hair loss. Thus, it is suggested that young people should drink fewer soft drinks but drink more water to minimize the probability of hair loss in the 20s’.
2. Eating Fast Food
Healthy hair growth is reliant on the intake of nutrients such as vitamins, protein and minerals. Fast food contains a high content of carbohydrates, calories and fats but lacks nutrients, so apart from making you fat, eating too much fast food could be harmful to hair health. It is suggested that you should keep a healthy diet and opt for vegetables and fruits that contain nutrients needed for healthy hair growth. The recommended vegetables and fruits are detailed below.
3. Eating Too Few Vegetables and Fruits
It is a common issue that lots of young people don’t eat enough vegetables and fruits, which has been supported by studies. According to a 20-year study among almost 25,000 adults that was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, only about 10% of adults reached the minimum recommended amount of vegetables and fruits. Another study indicated that the issue was worse among teenagers, as not only did they not reach the recommended amount of vegetables and fruits at the beginning of the research but also the amount decreased over the 5-year research period.
Vegetables and fruits have multiple benefits to health, including protecting against diabetes, obesity, heart disease and lots of chronic diseases, and promoting healthy hair growth. For example, carrots and avocados can stimulate hair growth as they contain Vitamin A and Vitamin E respectively. Vitamin A is good for keeping scalp and roots healthy and protecting hair follicles, and the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E are favorable for reducing oxidative stress that is associated with hair loss.
4. Drinking Alcohol
How does alcohol drinking lead to hair loss? The link between alcohol use and hair loss is complicated.
Firstly, people who drink too much alcohol may not intake enough nutrients if they drink heavily. You consume many calories and may feel full after drinking alcohol, so you can’t keep a balanced, healthy diet, leading to the lack of nutrition.
Secondly, drinking alcohol could cause your body to be unable to absorb enough nutrients. Excessive drinking would damage the stomach lining and affect the digestive system so that your body cannot absorb adequate nutrients.
Thirdly, excessive drinking causes dehydration to your body, thereby making hair follicles become dry and brittle. Since healthy hair growth relies on water and nutrients, excessive alcohol consumption should be prevented.
5. Smoking
Aside from alcohol consumption, smoking causes hair loss among young people. Cigarettes contain a number of components such as nicotine, arsenic and acetone that could not only cause harm to health but also result in hair loss. The harmful effect of smoking on hair loss can be attributed to nicotine, a harmful substance in cigarettes. Due to this substance, blood flow to hair follicles gets inhibited so that adequate nutrients cannot be absorbed by follicles. Production of healthy hair needs nutrients, so when hair follicles can’t get sufficient nutrients, they will enter the resting stage, which causes hair to fall out.
6. Using the Wrong Hair Products
Certain hair products do harm to your hair because chemicals in these products could cause your hair to be brittle. For example, shampoos with sulfates are harmful to hair by stripping moisture from your hair. If possible, minimize or eliminate the use of shampoos with sulfate, but instead use sulfate-free shampoos.
7. Stress
Stress is another main reason why hair loss occurs among young people. Hair loss is related to stress is manifested in three forms, including telogen effluvium, trichotillomania and alopecia areata.
Telogen effluvium is a kind of temporary and reversible hair loss that is usually associated with stress or traumatic events.
Trichotillomania refers to a kind of uncontrollable hair-pulling behavior that could be caused by stress. It means people who are affected by stress can’t help pulling out hair.
Alopecia areata occurs when hair follicles are attacked by the immune system, which is induced by stress, and hair loss is reflected in the form of circular bald patches. To prevent hair loss resulting from stress, it is suggested that you should take part in some leisure activities and prioritize exercise which is helpful for relieving stress.
This post is written to help you figure out what causes hair loss at a young age. On average, 20% of men and 25% have hair loss issues at the age of 20 and at the age of 30 respectively. If you are suffering from hair loss at a young age, do not panic. Accept the fact. There are various hair loss solutions like toupees that can help you cover the exposed section of the scalp. Live your life in your way!