AGE

When a person is 20-30 years old, there are about 615 follicles per square centimeters on the scalp but by the age of 30-50 years old, the hair follicles falls to 485. By the age of 80-90 years old, there are only 435 hair follicles per square centimeters. Thinning of the hair occurs as part of the aging process.

Male pattern baldness occurs in 5% of men under 20, 30% of men at the age of 30 and 50% of men at the age of 50. Theoretically, male pattern baldness can occur at any age after puberty. In men, it commonly develops during the 20s and 30s while women develop only after menopause unless they have inherited susceptible genes. Severe male pattern baldness in young men is not common and affects only 2% of them by the time they are 30.

HAIR LOSS IN CHILDREN

Children can also lose their hair. Often an area of hair loss is seen at the age of two or three months old. Sometimes, the development of mosaic patterns of hair growth leads to apparent hair loss. Alopecia areata and trichotillomia are both seen from time to time in children.

Some children have a condition called loose anagen syndrome, in which the hair can be easily and painlessly pulled out. It is the most common in fair-haired girls.