Hair loss is the type of health problem that is primarily associated with age, being most spread among older men. Pitifully, younger individuals can be subjected to this issue as well. According statistics many teenagers deal with various forms of hair loss and some of them end up having full-fledged male pattern baldness by the age of 17. No doubt, such a dramatic turn of events can be devastating for the young individual, since personal image is probably the most important thing at this age. For sure, for some people hair loss at such an early stage of life can serve as a trigger for various psychological issues that will haunt them for their entire life, even though the problem of hair loss itself is totally harmless and doesn’t affect any important bodily functions.

When does the alarm bell ring?

Actually, the fact of hair loss is not a problem at all. It’s interesting to know, it takes place in everyone and some people don’t even notice it. Normally people lose up to 100-150 head hairs per day, which may sound like a lot but still doesn’t lead to baldness because the lost hair is replaced with the newly grown one. But in case when the hair falloff rate increases significantly or there’s no new hair growing back we deal with a real problem. At first you will notice hair thinning, receding hair line and appearance of bald spots. When things like these start to appear in a teen it’s time to seek medical assistance.

The most common causes

The problem can have absolutely different triggers. A rather common factor is the ringworm infection of the scalp, which can lead to permanent hair loss. Remember, the intense use of hair styling solutions typical for this age group can also serve as a factor due to the excessive chemical treatment of the hair and scalp. No wonder, hormonal changes can also serve as a reason for hair loss in teens just as they are common in older men with male pattern hair loss. This can be especially true due to the extent of drastic hormonal changes some individuals go through during this period of their lives.

How to manage it?

We all know about the most common solution to hair loss in men is Propecia, which is a very effective drug that tweaks the levels of certain hormones responsible for hair loss. Still, using this drug by a teenager can be a problem. Don’t forget, Propecia is designed to be used only by men due to the fact that it changes hormonal levels, so no girls allowed. The next problematic point is, Propecia is not recommended for use by anyone younger than 18 for the same reason. When a person is going through a phase of intense hormonal change any additional factor such as the use of this drug can lead to unforeseen and unpredictable consequences. So you see, it is very important to address a professional doctor and take this question very cautiously and seriously in order to avoid any side effects.

The importance of timely help

The key point in teenage hair loss is getting proper treatment in a timely fashion. It’s not a problem that will go away on its own eventually as the person will grow up. It should be clear, the earlier you observe the signs and seek medical assistance, the higher is the chance of stopping and reversing hair loss trends. Be sensible about your health and don’t hesitate to call your doctor even if there are very mild symptoms of hair loss occurring in your teen.