Hairline receding at 30: what can men do day to day?

A receding hairline or thinning crown in a man's 30s is not unusual, and it is mostly down to family history and age. Thinning from family history and age is a natural change. What you can do day to day is avoid things that make hair shed more for a while: treat your hair gently when you wash and style it, manage stress without leaning on smoking, and if you are trying to slim down, do it gradually. If hair falls out in patches, you lose it very quickly, or your scalp itches or hurts, see a dermatologist.

Is a receding hairline at 30 normal for men?

It is common. The UK's NHS describes the hair loss seen in men as permanent hair loss that usually runs in the family. MedlinePlus Genetics, from the US National Library of Medicine, says it is related to male sex hormones called androgens and tends to cluster in families, so it is not caused by something you did wrong day to day.

How early it can start

MedlinePlus Genetics says this kind of hair loss can start as early as the teens, and that in men it begins above both temples, with the hairline moving back and the hair thinning at the crown. Noticing your hairline moving back in your early 30s is well within the usual range, and if your father, brothers or other relatives thinned early, you may notice it early too.

What thinning that runs in families looks like

• The hairline above both temples gradually moves back until the front forms an M shape.
• A round area on top of the head, at the crown, thins and slowly widens over time.
• As it goes on, the remaining hair may sit around the sides and back in a horseshoe shape.

The key point is that it changes slowly, over years, and follows the same pattern. It does not suddenly come out in patches.

Age plays a part too

MedlinePlus Genetics says the risk of this kind of hair loss increases with age, and that more than 50 percent of men over age 50 have some degree of hair loss. The NHS also describes much hair loss as a normal part of getting older.

How much hair loss is too much, and how is it different from thinning that runs in families?

The NHS says that losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal, and most of the time we do not notice. Seeing some hair on your comb or the bathroom floor every day is not a warning sign.

What shedding more than normal looks like

• Clearly more hair than usual on your pillow, comb or drain for several days in a row
• Hair coming out in handfuls when you wash, comb or run your fingers through it
• Hair getting thinner all over the head in a short time, not only at the hairline or crown

Side by side

This table summarises the NHS, MedlinePlus Genetics and the studies on heavy shedding below. A dermatologist can tell which kind of hair loss you have.

What makes hair fall out more for a while?

The NHS says temporary hair loss can be caused by illness, stress and weight loss. A study of this kind of all-over shedding lists stressful events that can set it off, such as the following.

Events that are hard on the body or mind

• A lot of stress
• A severe illness with a high fever
• A long operation
• Weight dropping quickly, whether on purpose through dieting or not

Why it is hard to pin down the cause

Hair shed this way does not fall out straight away. A published review notes that the shedding is seen 3 to 4 months after the triggering event, so many people do not connect it with an illness or a stressful period months earlier. Think back to whether anything like this happened a few months before.

Will it come back?

The NHS says most hair loss does not need treatment and is often temporary and grows back, and that hair loss caused by a medical condition usually stops or grows back once you have recovered.

If your hair is suddenly falling out a lot, see My hair is suddenly falling out a lot. What do I do first?

What everyday habits are worth keeping?

Thinning from family history and age is a natural change. What you can do every day is cut down on triggers of heavy shedding and on things that damage hair, such as rough washing and styling, unmanaged stress and weight dropping too fast.

Washing, drying and styling gently

Treat your hair gently day to day: wash without scrubbing hard, pat it dry with a towel rather than rubbing, comb without tugging at tangles, and if you tie longer hair back, keep it loose rather than pulling it tight.

Stress, smoking and alcohol

The NHS suggests several ways to manage stress, including:

• Be active. It will not make stress disappear, but it can reduce some of the emotional intensity you feel.
• Talk to friends, family or colleagues, who can help you see things in a different way.
• Take some time for yourself to rest, see people or exercise.
• Do not rely on alcohol, smoking or caffeine to cope. They may help for a moment, but they do not deal with the source of the stress.

If you smoke and want to stop, a doctor or pharmacist can help. To learn how to spot stress that is building up, see Stress keeps building up. How do I spot it and cope?

If you are trying to slim down, do it gradually

A study of heavy shedding after weight loss lists weight dropping quickly, whether on purpose or not, among its triggers. If you are trying to slim down, let your weight come down gradually rather than dropping a lot in a short time.

If you want thinning to be less noticeable

The NHS says most hair loss does not need treatment. An experienced barber can suggest a cut that suits your hairline. The NHS also notes that losing hair can be upsetting: if it is getting you down, a GP may be able to help you get some counselling, and talking to others going through the same thing can help.

When should I see a doctor about a receding hairline?

The NHS advises seeing a doctor if you are worried about hair loss, and getting an idea of the cause from a doctor before going to a commercial hair clinic. For thinning hair in men, a dermatologist can tell whether it is thinning that runs in families, a period of heavy shedding, or something else.

Signs to see a doctor

The NHS advises seeing a GP if you are worried about your hair loss. It is worth going sooner if:

• your hair loss does not follow the slow pattern described above, such as falling out in patches, very fast, or all over the head
• your hair breaks more easily than usual
• your scalp is itchy, red, scaly or painful
• the hair loss started after beginning a new medicine

Also see a dermatologist if heavy shedding after stress or illness has not settled after several months. Seeing a doctor early helps you find the cause and know what to do next.

If you take a regular medicine

If you take a regular medicine and think it may be linked to your hair loss, talk to your doctor or pharmacist, and do not stop it on your own.

Note these down before the appointment

• when you first noticed the thinning, and where on your head
• whether anyone in your family has thinning hair or a receding hairline, and at what age it started
• whether in the few months before, you had heavy stress, an illness with high fever, an operation or a big drop in weight
• every medicine you take, plus any scalp or hair products you use regularly

If a woman in your household is also worried about hair loss, see Why do women lose hair, and how much is too much?