This article was co-authored by Janet Miranda and by wikiHow staff writer, Dan Hickey. Janet Miranda is a Professional Hair Stylist, Makeup Artist, and the Founder of Be.NYLA. With over 15 years of experience, Janet specializes in makeup and hair for advertising, commercial, editorial, runway, special events, television, and videos. She was trained at Vidal Sassoon Academy and with top hair and makeup artists including MAC Cosmetics and Redken. Janet has worked five seasons of New York Fashion Week and one season on Project Runway. She continues to add brands to her growing client list including Armani Exchange, Neutrogena, and Pantene. Janet’s work has been featured on CBS, Brides Magazine, 100 Layer Cake, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, Ireland Image Brides Magazine, and Elle Japan.
There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
This article has been viewed 9,739 times.
Noticing that your hair is thinning or even balding at age 20 can be jarring, but it’s not unheard of. Two-thirds of men will experience some hair loss due to male pattern balding during their lives, and 25% of them will start noticing hair loss before age 21.[1] If you’re unsure whether you’re balding or just growing into your adult hairline, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll go over the signs and causes of balding at 20, plus explain all of the treatments available to help your hair grow the best it can (and potentially stop or reverse your hair loss!).
Signs You’re Losing Hair in Your 20s
- Your hair will begin thinning at the temples, the crown, or sometimes everywhere at once.
- Your hairline will begin to recede around the temples, forming a “U” or “M” shape.
- You may notice an inability to style your hair like normal or see that your hair looks thicker and fuller in old photos.
Steps
Signs of Early Balding
-
Thinning temples Your temples are the area of skin between your ears and forehead. In the early stages of balding, you may start to see some hair loss or thinning in this area. If and as the hair loss progresses, the thinning may “meet” a thin patch forming at your crown (the top of your head).[2]
-
Receding hairline A little bit of hairline recession is a normal sign of aging. However, if your hairline starts to recede around your temples, it can be a sign of hair loss or balding. Check to see if your hairline progresses into a “U” or “M” shape over time as the temple portions recede farther.[3]Advertisement
-
Thinning on the top of your head (crown) Another common area where men may first notice hair loss is around the highest point of the head called the crown (or sometimes the vertex). Thinning here will be gradual and look like a stereotypical “bald spot.”[4] This is the most common type of hair loss (for men and women) and typically affects people more severely as they age.
- Depending on the cause of the hair loss and other factors (like genetics or a specific health condition), you may see thinning across your whole head all at once rather than just at the crown or temples. This is more common in women than men, though.
-
Widening part You may notice that more and more scalp gradually becomes visible where you typically part your hair. This is a sign of hair thinning or loss in that area and may indicate your hair is thinning on other parts of your scalp as well. This is typically one of the first noticeable signs of balding in women.[5]
-
Losing clumps or many strands of hair at once It’s normal to lose 50–100 hairs from your head a day. However, if you’re noticing large clumps come out when you’re combing your hair or showering, or waking up with excessive strands of hair on your pillow in the morning, you may be experiencing accelerated hair loss.[6]
- Often, this type of hair loss is caused by an underlying condition (like stress or an illness). Once the condition is addressed, hair restoration is likely.
-
Losing hair all over your body You may notice patchy hair loss in your eyebrows, beard, or other places on your body in addition to your head. This may be caused by a condition or medical treatment, like chemotherapy, and is likely to subside once the condition is treated or stopped.[7]
-
Sunburn on your scalp You may notice irritation or full sunburns on your scalp due to thinning hair or balding spots exposing more of your skin to the sun’s UV light. This can be a sign of hair loss if you never used to experience this.[8]
- Tip: Prevent scalp sunburn with powdered sunscreen if you have long or thick hair, or with regular liquid sunscreen for short and thin hair. Use at least SPF 30.
-
Inability to style your hair like normal You may notice that your hair doesn’t hold its shape or volume as well as it used to. This could be a sign of hair loss or thinning, which leads to your hair sitting differently on top of your head.
-
Noticeable difference compared to old photos Take a look at an old snapshot of yourself—does your hair look thinner and less full than a few years ago? Is your hairline a different shape? While hair loss is often gradual and hard to notice when it first starts happening, comparing pictures is a good way to assess your overall hair health at a glance.
Expert Q&A
Tips
-
If you’re feeling self-conscious about losing your hair, remember that having hair doesn’t automatically make someone cooler or more attractive—so losing it doesn’t automatically make you strange or unattractive, either!Thanks
Warnings
- See your doctor if your hair loss is rapid or doesn’t follow a pattern, begins after starting a new medication, or is accompanied by itching, irritation, pain, redness, or inflammation.[25]Thanks
References
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hair-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20372926
- ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/insider/begin
- ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/insider/begin
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hair-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20372926
- ↑ https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/dermatology/how-to-treat-scalp-sunburn
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hair-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20372926
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/19638-finasteride-tablets-alopecia
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9561294/
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10010138/
- ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3063367/
- ↑ https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/male-pattern-baldness
- ↑ https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/hair-loss/treatment/male-pattern-hair-loss-treatment
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7508456/
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2956961/
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24515-male-pattern-baldness-androgenic-alopecia
- ↑ https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/grooming/article/hairstyles-for-thinning-hair
- ↑ https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/male-pattern-baldness