Why are more and more young men balding?

Periodically, baldness becomes a topic on the internet, generating discussions, memes and even advertising campaigns. In recent days, a promotion involving a fast food chain took social media by storm, especially among younger people, offering free hamburgers to anyone facing this condition.

Specialist and president of the Brazilian Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (ABCRC), plastic surgeon Henrique Radwanski explains that men are increasingly facing baldness at younger ages. According to him, stress stands out as one of the main reasons for this increase among younger people, both men and women.

“Other factors such as genetic predisposition, medication side effects, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and dermatological disorders can also contribute”, says the professional.

Baldness has consequences beyond aesthetics, and can impact the self-esteem and, sometimes, the mental health of those who experience the situation. A survey conducted by ABCRC in 2023 analyzed patient profiles and the motivations underlying the search for the hair transplant procedure. The data revealed that, among men, the age group with the greatest demand for hair transplantation is individuals between 30 and 39 years old, representing 40% of consultations.

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As for the underlying causes of baldness, genetic origin still occupies a greater place in the causes of hair loss, accounting for 80% of patients. Another 10% suffer from adverse effects of medications, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal disorders or dermatological conditions, 5% seek hair restoration for reconstructive reasons, and another 5% for aesthetic reasons.

Data from the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) shows that the search for hair transplants grew 152% between 2010 and 2021 across the world, with more than 703,000 hair restoration surgeries being performed.

Other survey factors include:

• The total market size for hair restoration surgery in 2021 was 4.5 billion dollars.
• More than half of male and female surgical patients worldwide were between 30 and 49 years of age, 57.2% and 54.8%, respectively.
• Among men, 13% of procedures targeted areas of the body other than the scalp, of which beards/moustaches represented 4% of procedures
• Among women, 17% of procedures targeted areas of the body other than the scalp, of which eyebrows accounted for 11% of procedures.