Why Am I Losing Hair as a Teenager?

This question comes from a member of our hair loss social community and discussion forums: 

I’m a 14 year old male who recently started to lose a lot of hair. I seem to pull out “clumps” of hair while showering at night and notice a lot of hair on my pillow in the morning. My Dad has hair loss, but he lost his hair in his 30’s and it only shed in a specific pattern. However, my hair seems to be thinning all over my entire head. Why am I losing hair as a teenager? Is this normal? Is it male pattern baldness like my Dad’s hair loss?

Although some individuals do start losing hair at an early age, 14 years old seems very young. Because you do have a family history of androgenic alopecia or male pattern hair loss, this could possibly be the culprit. However, normally androgenic alopecia wouldn’t affect individuals in your age group, nor would you see a thinning or shedding all over your entire scalp.

Because of this, it does sound like something else – besides genetic pattern hair loss – may be causing the thinning. In younger individuals, hair loss or thinning hair may be caused by a variety of things. In many cases, it may be related to an internal problem like a hormone imbalance or vitamin, mineral, or electrolyte deficiency. This means the “first step” in determining what is causing your hair loss probably involves an appointment with a physician who specializes in these types of internal imbalances. The best type of doctor to see for this issue is probably an endocrinologist. However, you may want to see your family physician first and see if (s)he recommends a visit to an endocrinologist. If this doctor can’t find an imbalance, it could be a very early onset of androgenic alopecia and an appointment with a hair loss specialist may be necessary (unless the endocrinologist specializes in hair loss as well).
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Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”

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