Hair loss can be an embarrassing topic for those who suffer from it. Hair loss is often associated with an unwanted visible sign of the aging process, which many would rather deny entirely rather than face head-on. 

However, it’s important to know about hair loss and how it happens so that the stigma behind it can be minimized. There any many questions people often have when it comes to hair loss, such as why does it happen? How common is it? When does it happen? And how long does it take to recover from a hair transplant anyways? 

Here are the answers to some of these common hair loss questions.

Why Does Hair Stop Growing?

Our bodies are in a constant cycle of growth. For example, every day, your skin sheds skin cells to make room for new renewed ones. The same thing goes for your hair. It is estimated the human head loses approximately 50-100 hair follicles per day, which we don’t usually notice as new growth is coming in.

However, when we age, the brain ceases to send the proper signals that supply nutrients to the follicle, which support their growth. This leads the hair to die off and be unable to grow back. Every follicle is on an independent life cycle, which is why hair loss can be a slow, gradual process, falling out one at a time rather than all at once.

How Common Is Hair Loss and When Does It Happen?

The short answer is very common, and it can start when you’re young.

It is estimated by the American Hair Loss Association that approximately 25% of men begin to show the signs of hair loss before the young age of 21. This number more than doubles by the time they turn 35 years old. By then, approximately 66% of men experiencing hair loss. Finally, a staggering 85% of men had reported that they experienced at least some form of noticeable hair loss by the time they turned 50 years old – Well over a decade before they’d even be considered a senior.

But hair loss isn’t just reserved for men. It’s also reported that almost half of women notice the signs of thinning or lost hair by the time they turn 50 years of age.

Can a Hair Transplant Solve My Problems?

While no cosmetic procedure boasts a perfect success rate, an FUE hair transplant often comes close.

Old hair transplant methods became stigmatized that they could leave people with patchy plugs of hair that often got referred to as “doll hair.” This is no longer the case with modern technology. During an FUE hair transplant, a computerized transplant system known as the ARTAS works to take individually take hair follicles from a healthy donor area (usually the back of the neck) and transplant them to the designated treatment area. This method is less painful than other transplant methods, produces minimal scarring, and it is estimated that close to 90-100% of grafts often survive the process.