Gone too soon – premature balding

For some it is their crowning glory and for others it is the trademark they flaunt with great pride. Some might even say, nothing is right until our hair is right and we are willing to spend a lot of time and money on products to take care of it. But for others it’s a source of great stress and anxiety. What are we talking about? Hair!

Losing hair is in most cases simply a sign of ageing, however when you are in your teens, early 20s or even 30s losing your hair can have an effect on your confidence and this in turn will affect how you perform in all other aspects of your life, career, relationships and socialising. When we notice our hair is falling out at a young age, it can leave us feeling discouraged, confused and self-conscious. Premature balding is real and it is no joke for the person dealing with it.

If you catch it early enough, with the proper care and patience you can treat and prevent premature hair loss. Here’s four points to remember when you notice the thinning of your hair.

What is premature balding?

Knowledge is power, so always educate yourself with the fact, don’t just believe the worst.

If you are noticing any of the following signs, you may be experiencing balding or early alopecia:

• Your hairline begins to move back over time
• The hair on the front of your scalp thins very quickly
• Your scalp is far more noticeable through your hair
• While combing your hair or shampooing it, you lose a significant amount of hair
• Your scalp begins to develop scaly areas all over it

What causes premature balding?

We all want to look good and feel good and our hair is a big part of that. Heat styling and products can cause great damage to our hair because of how often we use them. A poor diet and eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia will also contribute to hair loss; other factors like childbirth, surgery, infection, high fever, stress can contribute to the causes of hair loss as well. There are some chronic illnesses such as Lupus, thyroid disorders and a hair- pulling disorder called trichotillomania that cause the hair to thin out, birth control pills add to the list as well.

Can you prevent balding?

Some of the simplest ways to prevent balding are taking care of your diet, reducing stress, living a healthy lifestyle and reducing the amount of product and heat used on your hair. Home remedies like henna, hibiscus, gooseberries, eggs, onion juice can help with controlling hair loss. Oils like; rosemary, coconut, viviscal and ginseng are great home remedies for good healthy hair. If these home remedies don’t help, see a professional for medical treatment or maybe even investigate the possibility of hair transplant surgery.

Being supportive and kind to someone who is balding

It’s daunting to realise that you are getting older and thinning hair is perfectly normal part of the process but not usually at a young age. Your level of self-consciousness when you are only in your teens or 20s and early 30s, is completely different. You are in the beginning stage of building your career and finding your life partner. Be supportive and kind to someone experiencing premature balding don’t mock them or comment on it every time you see them – they are very aware that it is happening and don’t need someone to draw attention to something that is probably excruciatingly embarrassing for them. Unless they ask for it, try to resist the urge to give unsolicited advice even if it is in the nicest way possible. It costs you nothing to respectfully build someone up.

Living life to the fullest with confidence and pride

As difficult as it is, if you are experiencing premature hair loss or thinning, do your best to ‘own’ it! Make it your ‘thing’ which sets you apart and makes you really unique. Remember to love yourself unconditionally.