Why Do Men Go Bald? Explanations for Balding People

Have you ever run your hand through your hair, only to notice that a few too many strands have fallen out and ended up in your palm?

If so, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, androgenetic alopecia — the technical medical term for male-pattern baldness — is common in guys. 

Data from the National Institutes of Health says that androgenetic alopecia affects an estimated 50 million men in the U.S., and can start as early as your teens. 

In fact, at age 50, more than 50 percent of men experience some degree of hair loss. 

Hair loss happens for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, stress from your work or personal life is all it takes for your hair to begin to thin. 

In other cases, medications can cause your hair to shed prematurely, worsening the effects of male pattern baldness.

Most of the time, men's hair loss is the result of genetic and hormonal factors. You can read more about this in our guide to DHT and hair loss.

Below, we’ve listed the top reasons men go bald. We’ve also listed the most effective ways that you can deal with each cause of hair loss. 

If you’ve noticed your hairline beginning to recede, a bald spot, or your hair beginning to thin, there’s a good chance you can find the root cause listed below.

What Causes Baldness?

Below, we’ve listed the top reasons men go bald. We’ve also listed the most effective ways that you can deal with each cause of hair loss. 

If you’ve noticed your hairline beginning to recede or your hair beginning to thin, there’s a good chance you can find the root cause listed below.

Genetics

The vast majority of male baldness is caused by genetic factors, primarily the number of male hormones your body produces and your hair’s susceptibility to them.

This type of hair loss is known as male pattern baldness (or androgenic alopecia), and it’s something that the majority of men will experience at some point in life.

Some hair loss is also the result of the post-pubertal hairline recession. This usually happens in the early to mid-20s and isn’t the same as male pattern baldness. 

Post-pubertal recession usually only affects the hairline and, for most men, isn’t something to worry about.

Male pattern baldness is both a genetic and a hormonal phenomenon. Certain people have hair follicles that are more sensitive to the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (or "DHT," a naturally occurring male steroid hormone) than others.

For people with hair follicles that are sensitive to DHT, even normal amounts of the hormone can result in hair follicles shrinking and eventually failing to grow, creating the horseshoe-shaped hair pattern that’s natural for bald men.

Not all guys or men that are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness will go totally bald. 

Male-pattern hair loss can present itself as a slightly receded hairline, as diffuse thinning, or just as a small amount of hair loss around the temples.

Luckily, genetic male pattern baldness is easy and affordable to treat. It is possible to block DHT both topically and at its source using options like finasteride (generic for Propecia), minoxidil, and topical hair thickening shampoos to prevent further hair loss.

Stress

Far from being just an annoyance, stress is a serious health problem that can affect everything from your immune system to the thickness of your hair.

If you’ve been working long hours, rushing to meet deadlines or dealing with other aspects of a stressful work environment, there’s a possibility that stress from your job could have a negative impact on your hairline.

Stress-related hair loss can also be caused by stress in your personal life, whether from friends and family members or a problematic relationship.

Medical data shows that stress can lead to three different types of hair loss. The first, telogen effluvium, results in hair follicles entering into a resting phase as a result of your body’s stress hormone levels.

These hairs don’t fall out right away, but they can begin to fall out within weeks of the increase in stress hormones, often from everyday things like brushing your hair or washing with shampoo.

The second type of stress-related hair loss is alopecia areata — even though it’s not always stress-related. 

Alopecia areata is an immune condition that causes your body’s immune system to attack your hair follicles, resulting in extremely rapid hair loss that usually (but not always) grows back over time.

Alopecia areata is rare, affecting nearly two percent of the general population, and it may be caused from a variety of triggers including stress. 

While a few difficult days at the office aren’t likely to cause alopecia areata, month after month of exposure to a stressful work or home environment could trigger this condition in some people.

Interestingly, because alopecia areata is an immune system condition, it can even cause hair at the back of your head (which isn’t affected by male pattern baldness) to thin and fall out.

The third stress-related hair condition is trichotillomania. This is a serious disorder that’s also known as hair-pulling disorder. 

People with trichotillomania have an extreme urge to pull out their own hair, resulting in patches of hair loss on the scalp and/or body.

Since stress-related hair loss isn’t hormonal or genetic, there’s no single solution. Most of the time, the best solution is to reduce stress levels, either through lifestyle changes, behavioral therapy or the use of medications to

treat your mental health.

Diet

If you’re not genetically predisposed to hair loss or overly stressed but still have thinning hair or a receding hairline, your diet could be the cause.

Certain diets, particularly those with low amounts of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D, can cause your hair to shed prematurely. 

While research has yet to reveal a perfect diet for hair growth, most people agree that a diet rich in protein, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and selenium may play a major role in helping you grow a full head of strong, healthy hair. Several vitamins also play a major role in hair health.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, it’s important that you make consuming iron a priority. Medical studies show that vegetarians and vegans need to consume about 1.8 times as much iron as meat eaters in order to avoid iron deficiency and its potential effects on hair growth.

However, it’s worth noting there is very limited research on the role of nutrient supplementation in the absence of deficiency. 

It’s important that you follow up with your healthcare provider to determine what the right course of nutritional supplementation may be right for you.

Learn about what foods to eat to promote hair growth.

Drugs

Drugs, especially those that increase the levels of stress hormones or androgens in your body, can occasionally cause hair loss.

While most over-the-counter drugs are unlikely to trigger hair loss, many common prescription drugs can have negative side effects that, in some cases, can result in temporary or permanent loss of hair:

• Retinoids, which are used to treat acne and other skin issues, can occasionally cause hair loss. Commonly prescribed retinoids include isotretinoin and tretinoin. However, it’s worth noting there are some conflicting studies about whether or not tretinoin does, in fact, cause hair loss

• Thyroid medications, which can in rare cases cause diffuse hair loss due to thyroid overactivity or thyroid inactivity. However, here, too, it’s worth noting that it may be difficult to determine whether hair loss is caused by a thyroid condition, or the drugs sometimes used to treat it. 

• Blood pressure medications, such as beta-blockers propranolol, or ACE Inhibitors like lisinopril, can sometimes have a side effect that results in hair loss. 

If you’re prescribed a medicine that you think is having an effect on your hair, it’s best to speak to your healthcare provider to find out if it could be responsible and if any alternative treatment options are available. 

Find out more about which medications can cause hair loss.

Lifestyle

If you drink, party, and barely get any sleep, there’s a risk that your hairline could suffer. 

Because sleep plays an important role in almost every aspect of your health, staying up late and failing to get enough sleep may have a negative effect on your hair health.

Research data shows that lack of sleep can contribute to stress, which in turn can often lead to diffuse hair loss and telogen effluvium. 

Low quality sleep also results in lower production of essential hormones, many of which play a major role in promoting hair growth.

While there’s no need to live like a Zen monk, reducing your consumption of alcohol, eliminating tobacco, and getting enough sleep can help you avoid the negative lifestyle effects that could lead to hair loss.

Just remember that hair loss is still mostly hormonal and genetic. While improving your lifestyle is a great way to avoid stress-induced hair loss, it won’t do anything to stop genetic male pattern baldness -- that requires a different solution.

Age

Our bodies change in all types of ways as we age, and as we mentioned above, our hairlines are no exception. So, what age do men go bald? 

Even though hair loss can begin as early as our teens, up to 50 percent of men will notice some degree of hair loss by the time they’re fifty.

There are plenty of reasons as to why our age is working against our hairline.

One is that as we age, our hair naturally begins to thin out. Our individual hair strands get smaller and take on a lighter pigment, and some follicles cease to grow new hair altogether. 

Additionally, as we age, our bodies produce less hair slower For the average person, the hair growth cycle is between two and six years. 

But as we age, that process tends to speed up, which means we lose thinner hair faster.

And of course, there are other issues to consider, like individual genetics, reduced hormone levels, the development of certain thyroid issues and plenty of others. 

The point is, when it comes to hair loss, time generally isn’t on our side.

Looking for Hair Loss Solutions?

From hormones and genetics to diet, lifestyle, and pharmaceuticals, a variety of factors all play a role in hair loss. Here are some of your options:

If you're looking to preserve the hair you still have

If you want to minimize your hair loss and preserve as much of your hair as possible, it’s vital to understand how hair loss factors affect you. 

If you’re stressed, take action to eliminate or decrease stress from your life and fix the problem at its cause. 

You might also want to consider taking a hair strengthening vitamin supplement, such as biotin, to support your hair preservation. Biotin gummies are packed with B7, an essential building block for hair growth.

If you're genetically predisposed to hair loss

If you’re genetically predisposed to hair loss,  it is important to learn about the role hormones and genetics play in hair loss and what you can do about it. 

Hair loss treatments like finasteride (a pill taken daily) and minoxidil (a topical treatment used twice daily) stimulate hair growth in areas where hair is more likely to thin or fall out.  

Start your free consultation for hair loss treatments now. 

If you're looking for a quick but permanent solution

If you are eager to get your hair back as soon as possible, you may want to consider looking into hair transplants. Learn more about hair transplants and if they're the best option for you.

If you're looking for a change you can make today

If your diet and lifestyle aren’t ideal for hair health, take steps to fix bad habits and make the switch to a healthier diet. 

Consider eliminating smoking and drinking, limiting stressful situations, and eat a diet enriched with vitamins and minerals. Learn about lifestyle changes you can make to foster improved hair growth.

Not sure where to start? We specialize in helping people of all ages (including guys in their 20's and 30's who’ve only just started paying attention to their hairlines) deal with hair loss using real, proven hair loss treatment solutions.