Millennials More Concerned About Hair Loss than Previous Generations

Ask people to name the most visible signs of ageing and it’s a fair bet that wrinkles and hair loss are right at the top of the list. And ageing, it turns out, is something that Millennials (22-39-year-olds) fear more than previous generations.

According to a new report in the US from market research firm Mintel, Millennials are significantly more likely to be concerned about the physical signs of ageing than their older siblings and parents. A total of 60 per cent of Millennials say they are doing all they can to fight the physical signs of ageing; by comparison, only 49 per cent of Generation X (people aged 40-51) are doing the same.

Hair loss and the ageing process

Since time immemorial, hair loss and thinning hair have been inextricably linked with the ageing process, and yet the reality as a great many people come to discover is that genetic hair loss can kick in when people are still in their late teens. Even for women, who have traditionally tended to lose their hair later in life, reports have shown that increasing numbers are now starting to experience hair loss in their 20's - much earlier than previous generations.

What is ironic is that modern-day life and, indeed, the lifestyle of the average Millennial could actually be speeding up the ageing process. Several different forms of hair loss, for example, can be influenced such factors as stress (think final exams, starting a new job or a family, buying a home, etc.) as well as nutritional deficiencies and habits such as smoking.

People are frequently surprised when they hear for the first time that the way they live could be partly to blame for their hair loss condition. And yet it’s a fairly simple equation: your hair is part of you, and as the old adage goes, you get out what you put in. If all you’re putting in is junk food instead of vitamins, minerals, fibre and the things that both hair and body need, it’s perhaps a little less left-field to think that awful diets can wreak havoc with the hair follicles.

What is evident to hair loss specialists is that women in their 20s are increasingly coming in for treatment for conditions that were once much more commonly seen on women in their 40s. Stress, smoking, recreational drugs, alcohol and diet often play a part in a condition named Telogen Effluvium, especially. This condition leads to a general, all-over thinning of the hair, and when it is evident for more than a year it is known as Chronic Telogen Effluvium or Diffuse Thinning.

Stress on hair follicles

Click to View Belgravia's Hair Loss Treatment Success Stories Featuring 20-Somethings

Additionally, thousands of women in their 20s - and some men, too - experience hairloss from a condition called Traction Alopecia, which is in many ways self-inflicted (though obviously not intentional) as it is caused by stress placed on the hair follicles. It happens when certain ‘in vogue’ or traditional hairstyles such as hair-extensions, tight braids or cornrows are worn for prolonged periods. Oft-seen in women with afro hair due to its naturally more brittle texture, the condition recently prompted the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore to issue guidelines pertaining to how long certain kinds of hairstyles can safely be worn.

What is reassuring to Millennials, Generation X-ers and Baby Boomers alike is that many cases of excessive shedding can be diagnosed and treated at a dedicated hair loss clinic. For those who have a family history of female or male pattern baldness and want to try to prevent thinning hair, proactive treatment courses started at the first signs of hair loss can also help to stabilise any hair fall and promote regrowth before it becomes noticeable to others.

Belgravia’s personalised hair loss treatment courses have proved effective in treating a range of conditions for both men and women of all ages, though our largest customer-base definitely sits in the Millennial category.