Americans and Hair Loss Today

Many men and some women in the United States are dealing with hair loss, thinning, and bald patches, and there are some statistics to keep track of how often this happens, and what a person going through hair loss might expect in the coming years. About 35 million men in the United States today are experiencing hair loss, and about 21 million women are going through it, too. And once a person starts losing their hair, this phase of hair loss may last for about 20 years until it is complete, and there is even a scale, th4e Norwood Scale, to track the severity of hair loss in adults across the United States. Type I hair loss is considered “minimal hair loss” on this scale, and at the other end of the hair loss spectrum, Type VII describes the most advanced cases of hair loss. For the surgeons of hair transplant procedures, the use of this scale may be relevant, along with those who create and tailor wigs and toupees.

Men in particular will experience hair loss, and nearly 95% of American men will experience typical male pattern baldness at some point, and some men may start losing their hair sooner than others and get a pronounced receding hair line. In general, by age 35, two in three men or so will have some hair loss underway, and by age 50, nearly 85% of all men will have significantly thinning hair, and this may impact their self-image. Many American adults have been surveyed on this topic, and many have reported that they would go to great lengths, if they could, to restore their full head of hair. For example, 47% of those who are losing their hair reported that they would spend their entire life savings to restore a full head of hair, and 60% of hair loss sufferers, over half of them, reported that they would rather have all their hair back than have money or friends. Clearly, hair is something that many adults take seriously. And with modern surgical procedures, a full head of hair may be possible through hair transplant procedures.

Medicine and Hair

There is no “magic potion” to make lost hair grow suddenly, but the FUE method, Follicular Unit Extraction, has proven popular among many who have suffered some degree of hair loss, so someone who has bald patches or thin hair may choose to find a nearby clinic and have this cosmetic surgery done on them. Hair follicles naturally grow in groups of one to four or so, but some hair units may be as large as six or eight hairs that grow on the head. At any rate, FUE surgery and hair transplant procedures involve carefully removing skin that contains these follicle units, and transplanting them to a target area, such as bald patches or thinning patches of hair. The hair will be oriented so that it grows in the same direction as the hair already present, and this can make for a more natural look. This does not actually add hair to the head; rather, it moves hair around, and this can make for a more solid, consistent look on a patient’s head.

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