Hair Loss in Teens: Causes and Solutions

Symptoms of Hair Loss in Adolescence

Hair loss isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. Not for adults and certainly not for teens. A lot’s going on in your teenage body so how you experience hair loss can be very different to the next teen.

However, here are a few of the more common symptoms of hair loss:

• A receding hairline in boys
• Thinning around the part in girls
• Thinning all over
• Patches of balding
• More hair than usual on your pillowcase and hairbrush and in your shower drain

A Quick Note on Your Receding Hairline

Every teenager starts with a juvenile hairline, which sits straight and low on the forehead. But as you grow older, your hairline will change.

Sometimes a receding hairline is just the start of a natural mature hairline. Sometimes it’s a sign that you’re in the early stages of hair loss.

Teen Balding: Is It a Thing?

Balding at a young age is rare. If you look at the causes of teen hair loss we’ve listed below, many can be treated with simple lifestyle changes.

If you have hereditary hair loss (more on that below), the pace of hair loss is gradual. Balding, if it occurs at all, is usually years or decades away. And with the benefit of time, there are things you can do to prevent balding.

If you notice balding, it may be a sign to head to your doctor as there could be an underlying medical condition that needs more serious attention.

Causes of Hair Loss in Teens

There are many reasons why your hair may be falling out as a teenager. It also depends on whether you’re male or female. Let’s take a look at some of the more common causes.

Can Puberty Cause Hair Loss?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, we can’t discount the impact puberty has on teenage hair loss. Puberty comes with huge hormonal fluctuations that are bound to lead to big physical changes.

Many of the causes of teenage hair loss have some link, whether direct or indirect, to these dramatic hormonal shifts.

1. Hormones

Hormones regulate how your body grows hair so when your hormone levels change, it can affect your hair and sometimes cause hair thinning or hair loss.

In girls, hormonal hair loss might mean something else is going on. It could be a symptom of an underlying condition, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or a thyroid disorder.

This is why it is best to consult a doctor if you’re concerned about your hair loss — it may be linked to an underlying condition and when you treat the condition, you may be able to reverse the hair loss.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

With PCOS, the body produces too much of the male sex hormone (called androgen), which can disrupt the menstrual cycle and trigger painful periods, acne, or hair thinning.

If you have PCOS, your hairline may suddenly thin out and your hair rapidly shed.

Thyroid Disorders

Alternatively, a thyroid problem could be the culprit — again, it’s more common in female teenagers. The thyroid produces certain hormones so if it makes too much or too little, your hair may be affected.

In this case, your hair is likely to thin all over but hair loss usually only occurs if you have a severe disorder.

2. Genetics

You may be starting to lose your hair because it’s encoded in your genes. Hereditary hair loss is common and can start as early as your teens, particularly if you’re male.

You might have heard it called male pattern baldness (MPB) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL), although hereditary hair loss has a technical name: androgenetic alopecia.

You could argue that this one goes hand in hand with hormones because certain hormones have a role in androgenetic alopecia.

But in any case, at this stage, it’s nothing to fret about.

Hereditary hair loss usually progresses at a snail’s pace. And there are things you can do about it too — more on that below.

3. An Autoimmune Condition

A less common cause of hair loss in teens is an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata, which affects 2% of the population at some point in their lives.

Alopecia areata happens when your immune system turns on itself and attacks your hair follicles. The inflammation it causes results in patchy hair loss and bald spots.

That’s distinctly different from the receding hairline of genetic or hormonal hair loss. More advanced forms of this condition can result in complete baldness on the scalp or hair loss all over the body.

Alopecia areata may be inherited and you’re more likely to get it if you have a family history of other types of autoimmune conditions. Symptoms usually appear before the age of 30, although they can show up in children too.

There’s no cure for alopecia areata but it may be possible to grow hair back. It’s best to consult a doctor who can recommend the right treatment and monitor your progress.

Hair loss can also be a symptom of other autoimmune conditions, including lupus, psoriasis, and Crohn’s disease.

4. A Nutritional Deficiency

Nutrients are essential to healthy hair. Things like biotin, iron, zinc, and protein all have a role to play in hair growth.

So if your body doesn’t doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, you can end up with a nutritional deficiency that may cause hair thinning or hair loss.

If you want to know more about that, we’ve got an article that looks in-depth at the links between nutritional deficiencies and hair loss.

Nutritional deficiencies are common in teenagers — a balanced diet isn’t top of mind when you’re hanging with your friends or studying for exams. Teenagers are also vulnerable to eating disorders, which may lead to nutrient deficits.

Fortunately, it’s possible to reverse hair loss caused by malnutrition by improving your diet and eating foods that are good for the hair.

5. Medical Treatments

Certain medications and medical treatments can interfere with your hair’s regularly scheduled program. Treatments that may cause hair loss include:

• Oral contraceptive (birth control) pills
• Acne medication
• Immunosuppressants
• Antibiotics
• Medication for thyroid diseases
• Antidepressants and mood stabilisers
• Cholesterol treatments
• Chemotherapy

6. Hair Pulling

Those teen years aren’t easy. Schoolwork and after-school jobs are hard enough. Add navigating social relationships to the mix and it can be a stressful time.

One way teenagers deal with this overwhelm is by tugging their hair.

It’s an instinct but if the compulsion to keep pulling is too strong, you can uproot your hair. The result may be areas of thin hair and bald patches.

There’s a name for this rare psychological compulsive disorder.

Trichotillomania.

Symptoms usually start to appear between the ages of 10 to 13 and it’s more likely to affect females than males. However, habit reversal therapy (HRT) may help reduce daily hair pulling.

7. Hair Treatments and Styles

Your teenage years are about figuring out your identity. It’s natural to experiment with different hair colours and styles — it’s all a part of the process!

But a word of caution:

Put too much pressure on your hair and it can start to show.

Traction alopecia is a type of hair loss you get when you’ve put extreme stress on your hair follicles. That normally happens when you wear your hair in tight hairdos day after day.

We’re talking tight buns, braids, and cornrows. Anything that pulls your hair at the scalp. Hair extensions won’t help either.

You may have traction alopecia if your hair is thinning on your hairline. But it can be reversed if you let your hair down — literally — and give those follicles a break.

Bleaching, chemical hair dyes, and excessive use of heat styling tools can also weaken and damage your hair. But as with tight hairdos, if you give the styling a rest, your hair should recover.

How to Stop Hair Loss in Teenage Girls and Boys

As a teenager, you’re lucky. We’re learning more about hair loss every day and always coming up with more effective hair loss treatments.

That said, there’s no overnight cure for hair loss. The best treatment depends on the type of hair loss you have and what’s causing it. This is where it can help to have a diagnosis and a doctor to guide you through the process.

Speak to a Doctor about Your Teenage Hair Loss

If you’ve gotten this far, you’ve probably realised that your hair loss may be a simple genetic condition or it could be caused by something more serious.

As with anything else, If you’re concerned about your hair loss, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor. They may be able to rule out or investigate an underlying condition and begin to explore treatment options.

If you’re 18 years or older, you can also start treatment with The Hairy Pill^®.

This personalised hair loss treatment uses technology invented by one of Australia’s most renowned dermatologists and includes regular consultations with one of our partner doctors, who can change the ingredients or dose to suit your needs.

The best bit is that you can start the treatment right now, from the comfort of your home. Doctor consultations take place online and your personalised treatment will be delivered to your door.

Worried about losing your hair so young? Leave it too late and your hair loss may be permanent but the earlier you begin treatment, the more effective the results may be. Start now.