Causes of Hair Loss in Men

The effect a good haircut has on the face and general appearance is quite mind-boggling. Your hair alone can turn heads, especially when you care for it and give it a healthy appearance. However, not everyone can boast of the hair mass essential for this result, and that is because of hair thinning or slow growth.

Hair loss is a prevalent condition, but we have a degree of control over it.

You see, 85% of men will eventually lose their hair density, and it can start as early as teen years for some. At the age of 70, at least four out of five men will have experienced hair loss to a significant degree. However, shampoos that improve hair health and growth, medications for treating infections that could result in hair loss, and hair transplants are all options men resort to.

In this blog post, we will discuss some of the significant causes of hair loss in men and how you can prevent it. Again, there are many options, but not all may be suitable for treating the cause of your hair loss. This is why you need to be familiar with the various reasons.

Causes of Hair Loss in Men

Several factors can result in hair loss in men, and some of them include:

Family History

If you have a history of baldness in your family, you will likely experience a loss of hair density at some point in your life. Genetics plays a huge role in our physical composition, so if the men in your family lose their hair as they age, then you most likely will too.

This condition is known as male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia. The manner of inheritance is not yet fully understood, and science still has no answer for why baldness occurs in the same pattern. However, this is a condition that you can combat with a hair transplant to the thinning hairlines, home remedies, essential oils, and regular scalp massages.

Androgenetic alopecia affects the aging male population and could also affect a teenager with a family history of this condition.

Choice of Haircuts

Your choice of haircuts may also result in hair loss. For instance, keeping long hair may require you to put it in a ponytail or man bun when you need to keep it out of your face. Making that ponytail too tight may not result in an immediate hair loss, but the hair at your hairline will gradually pull out, and this condition is known as traction alopecia.

It occurs when you put too much tension on your hair follicles or leave them in a position that constantly pulls at them. So, avoid tight buns as much as you can.

Inadequate or Unbalanced Diets

Your diet affects every part of your body. It is best to include nutrients for full-body growth and development, extending to your hair. An unbalanced diet, particularly one that constantly lacks proteins like eggs, milk, meat, and fish, will stunt your hair growth.

So, a diet that excludes protein or keeps it at a minimum will also have a detrimental effect on the growth of your hair.

Hair Treatments

There are many hair treatments we undergo to improve the quality of our hair. Some oils, conditioners, and shampoos we apply are supposedly meant to make out hair healthy and attractive. However, they end up clogging our follicles and accumulating grime and dirt because of the components in these hair treatments.

Hair straighteners and curlers are also used for styling our haircuts, but they do a degree of damage to our follicles. The heat may be too much, so if at all you will apply a hot comb or straightener to your hair, keep it at a minimal temperature.

Medical Conditions

Alopecia areata is a medical condition that causes hair loss. It is an internal attack of the hair follicles by the immune system. This condition can also be caused by severe stress, and it manifests as bald patches that eventually become larger as the condition worsens. The hair will grow back, but it may also keep shedding as long as the condition persists.

It is an incurable disease, but there are medical treatments for it. It also is not contagious and does not cause pain.

Other medical conditions that may result in hair loss are lupus, diabetes, and cancer.

Medications

If you have ever read the back of some prescriptions, you may have come across hair loss as a side effect. Hair loss does not always happen due to medications, but it sometimes occurs, especially when the hair follicles are already weak from poor nutrition or other underlying conditions.

Some medications that may elicit hair loss include treatments for cancer, high blood pressure, arthritis, depression, and treatments for heart conditions.

How to Prevent Hair Loss in Men

While hair loss is sometimes unavoidable, especially as we age, specific lifestyle changes we can adapt will delay hair loss significantly. For instance, exercising regularly will help relieve stress and help you stay fit. It is also best to opt for shampoos and other hair treatments that contain organic components instead of those fortified with chemicals, particularly silicone.

You can also use essential oils for hair care. Massage your scalp regularly to improve blood flow, stay hydrated, and increase your intake of proteins.

The use of hot combs and straighteners should reduce significantly, and it is best to turn down the heat if you must use them. Also, remember that your hair is most fragile when it is wet, so save your grooming and styling sessions for when your hair is significantly dry. If you have a medical condition that compels you to pull at your hair, it is best to see a specialist.

Conclusion

Hair loss is sometimes inevitable, but we can delay it as long as we want. There are many options for combating baldness or thinning of hair, but you must first identify what causes your own to determine the best solution.