Hair loss can be highly stressful, irrespective of age. If you are a teenager, hair loss at a young age can be traumatic and distressing. This is because during adolescence, you will have to pass through the critical phase of psychological development. During this phase, teenagers tend to pay more attention to their appearance, as it influences building confidence, social skills, and self-image. Boys aged 17 with hair loss might feel inferior or have low self-esteem due to the fear of being bullied or mocked by others, causing emotional distress. Thankfully, there are several advanced hair loss treatments for teenage boys to regrow hair and curb hair loss.
If you are facing any one or more of the following signs of hair loss for over a month, consult a specialist today:
- Hairline near the temples begins to recede with scanty hair
- Severe hair loss in the crown area
- Several hair strands on the pillow, shower drain, and hair brush.
- A sudden decline in hair density with visible scalp
Is Hair Loss at 17 in Males Normal?
If you have a teenage son facing hair loss, do not neglect it as a common issue. Adolescent males often experience hair loss during puberty, but it is typically not severe. Although losing up to 100 strands of hair each day is normal, excess shedding leading to thinning or bald patches indicates an underlying health issue [1]. The hair loss faced by your teenager might be due to hormonal activity, stress, genetics, poor nutrition, and lifestyle [2]. Sometimes, medical issues like an imbalance in thyroid levels leading to hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism might also lead to hair loss among teenagers. Males aged 17 often face genetic hair loss that marks the beginning of androgenetic alopecia [3].
Mature Hairline at 17 vs Receding Hairline
If you are beginning to notice a significant change in your hairline, you might have concerns about going bald. However, you can find a noticeable difference between a receding hairline and a mature hairline.
Visible Progression
You might experience mature hairline development during your late teenage years that continues until you reach your 30s, featuring slight and gradual recession. A receding hairline, on the other hand, would be highly progressive and well-pronounced, making it much visible after a couple of months.
Recession Rate
If you have a mature hairline, you might have a slower recession rate that can be visible at the temples with a subtly defined M-shaped forehead hair. If you have a receding hairline, your scalp would show signs of severe recession featuring bald patches and a well-defined M pattern, mainly along the crown area and temples.
Hair Strand Density
You will have good hair density without major issues like thinning or patches with a mature hairline. And a receding hairline will have a scalp with scanty and fine hair, along with thinning.
Triggering Factors
People develop a mature hairline as they age, or when facing extreme hormonal imbalance, or due to genetics. A receding hairline at an early age indicates an increase in androgen levels, medical issues like alopecia areata or thyroid dysfunction, genetic predisposition, lack of nutrition, and stress.
Level of Impact
A person having a mature hairline need not have any concerns, as it is quite common during aging and is not an indicator of any underlying medical issue. Your receding hairline usually indicates the onset of serious hair loss issues like androgenetic alopecia, which would require immediate treatment to manage it.
Early Balding at 17: Common Causes
1. Hereditary – Androgenetic Alopecia
It is commonly referred to as male pattern hair loss and is one of the most common causes of hair loss in teenage boys. Androgenetic Alopecia is generally a hereditary condition, which indicates you got it from your family members [4]. It not only affects males in their 20s or 30s, but might be diagnosed as early hair loss among teenagers. Males facing this type of hair loss will have a receding hairline with hair falling in a distinct V, M, or U shape along the forehead and temples [5].
2. High Hormone Levels
As a teenager, you would usually face extreme hormonal changes owing to puberty. High androgen activity in the body, like testosterone, will hurt the health of your hair follicles. The chances of hormone-induced hair loss are higher, especially if you are prone to genetic predisposition.
3. Lack of Nutrition through Diet
If you have the habit of skipping meals or if your diet doesn’t contain specific nutrients, it can make your hair roots become weak and lead to hair loss. Ensuring the food you eat is loaded with nutrients like vitamin C, D, A, niacin, zinc, and iron will help enhance hair health [6]. Sometimes, digestive issues or an eating disorder might also induce hair loss in teenagers.
4. Stressful Lifestyle
Teenagers may sometimes have to face extreme stress owing to peer pressure at school, relationship issues, or feel inferior after watching the social media activity of celebrities. In such cases, extreme stress levels can lead to a hair-shedding condition called telogen effluvium, causing emotional distress.
5. Specific Health Issues
Both an underactive thyroid gland and high thyroid hormone levels can affect the health of your hair. Such thyroid disorders can damage hair health and cause thinning and excessive hair loss. Autoimmune issues like alopecia areata will cause your immune system to attack the hair follicles accidentally, triggering patchy hair loss.
6. Using Hair Styling Products
As a teenager, you might be interested in trying out trending hairstyles that force you to use a lot of hair wax, heating tools, and gels with harmful chemicals and harsh ingredients. Using products like shampoo with a harsh formulation regularly would also cause hair loss and thinning.
Safe Treatment Options for Hair Loss at 17
If you are on the lookout for safe hair loss treatments for your teenage son, consider the following options:
- Minoxidil: This over-the-counter medication can be applied topically on the scalp to tackle hair loss [7]. This product can also help in improving hair regrowth by promoting blood circulation to the follicles.
- PRP Treatment: This Platelet-rich Plasma treatment is performed by an expert surgeon who would be injecting shots with concentrated platelets extracted from your blood [8]. This hair treatment helps in kindling the follicular units in the scalp and can be used along with other treatments to stimulate hair growth.
- Microneedling: This treatment option is minimally invasive and can help absorb topical medications like Finasteride or Minoxidil to enhance hair regrowth.
- LLT or Low-level Laser Therapy: This safe procedure is painless and is performed with red light laser for kindling hair follicles to enhance blood flow in teenagers.
What Not to Do When You Notice Early Hair Loss
- There is no need to be stressed or panic when facing hair loss at 17, as it can cause more hair loss or lead to telogen effluvium.
- Don’t use OTC products without a doctor’s recommendation, as they might not be suitable for all.
- Don’t try unproven hair growth remedies or hair loss solutions that you find on the internet, as they might induce more hair fall.
- Never stop the prescribed medications that you are taking to control acne or stress.
- Avoid blow drying, bleaching, and hair styling products to control hair loss.
- Stay away from crash diets or binge on junk foods, as nutrient deficiency will cause extreme hair loss.
- Don’t keep your severe hair loss a secret from your parents. Discuss it to get mental support and improve emotional well-being to enhance hair health.
- Do not ignore hair loss as a common issue and delay medical consultation. Early diagnosis will help prevent permanent balding or hair loss at 17.
When to Seek a Professional Evaluation – Akruti Hair Transplant Team
It is essential to remember that your hair is the first indicator of your overall health, which is why you must seek your doctor’s opinion immediately if facing hair loss. Seek professional evaluation if you notice rapid hair thinning, have a family history of balding, hair loss in patches, heavy shedding, or severe hair shedding for more than a month.
Why Akruti Does Not Recommend Hair Transplants at 17
Akruti, being a specialist in offering advanced hair restoration treatments, doesn’t recommend hair transplant procedures for boys aged 17 [9]. Here’s why:
- Hair loss will not become stable during the teenage years and will evolve as one reaches their 20s to 30s.
- Teenage males will have a limited amount of donor hair area, and using it for a transplant at a young age might lead to wastage. It might also lead to uneven patchy areas in the future [10].
- Changes in hormones like testosterone levels and variations in hair density might make transplant results unstable.
- After transplantation, a young hairline might have too dense, flat, or low hair growth that looks unnatural.
- Akruti follows the medical guidelines [11] and ethics seriously, which is why they don’t recommend hair transplants only for people above 18 years of age.
Final Takeaway
This article explains why teenagers must not neglect the signs of early hair loss and get it treated immediately, based on the triggering factors that induce it. Consulting an experienced doctor will help in identifying the underlying cause and taking the right treatment to stop hair loss and reverse its effects safely.
Reference Links:
- Ozay O, Arslantas D, Unsal A, Bulur I. The frequency of alopecia and quality of life in high-school students in rural areas (Sivrihisar, Mahmudiye, Alpu, and Beylikova) of Eskisehir. North Clin Istanb. 2019 Jun 12;6(3):226-235. doi: 10.14744/nci.2018.59365. PMID: 31650108; PMCID: PMC6790931. – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6790931/
- Garcia, Samantha & Kenner-Bell, Brandi. (2025). Hair Loss in Teenagers: A Review for Primary Care Pediatricians. Pediatric annals. 54. e189-e195. 10.3928/19382359-20250321-01. – https://www.researchgate.net/
- Macey J, Kitchen H, Aldhouse NVJ, Edson-Heredia E, Burge R, Prakash A, King BA, Mesinkovska N. A qualitative interview study to explore adolescents’ experience of alopecia areata and the content validity of sign/symptom patient-reported outcome measures. Br J Dermatol. 2022 May;186(5):849-860. doi: 10.1111/bjd.20904. Epub 2022 Feb 25. PMID: 34811721; PMCID: PMC9305453. – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9305453/
- Asfour L, Cranwell W, Sinclair R. Male Androgenetic Alopecia. [Updated 2023 Jan 25]. In: Feingold KR, Ahmed SF, Anawalt B, et al., editors. Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000-. – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK278957/
- Oh Sang Kwon, M.D., Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, Korea. – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1346-8138.2006.00161.x
- Ayşe AKBAŞa, Fadime KILINÇa aClinic of Dermatology and Venerology, Ankara City Hospital, Ankara, TURKEY – https://www.turkiyeklinikleri.com
- Olsen EA, Dunlap FE, Funicella T, Koperski JA, Swinehart JM, Tschen EH, Trancik RJ. A randomized clinical trial of 5% topical minoxidil versus 2% topical minoxidil and placebo in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in men. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002 Sep;47(3):377-85. doi: 10.1067/mjd.2002.124088. PMID: 12196747. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12196747/
- Tawfik C, Tejeda CI, Haughton AM. Case series evaluating the efficacy and safety of platelet-rich plasma for androgenetic alopecia in pediatric patients. JAAD Case Rep. 2023 May 9;37:8-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2023.04.027. PMID: 37332360; PMCID: PMC10275738. – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10275738/
- True RH. Is Every Patient of Hair Loss a Candidate for Hair Transplant?-Deciding Surgical Candidacy in Pattern Hair Loss. Indian J Plast Surg. 2021 Dec 20;54(4):435-440. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1739247. PMID: 34984081; PMCID: PMC8719975. – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8719975/
- Goldin J, Zito PM, Raggio BS. Hair Transplantation. [Updated 2025 Aug 2]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547740/
- Patwardhan N, Mysore V. Hair transplantation: Standard guidelines of care. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2008;74:46-53 – https://ijdvl.com/hair-transplantation-standard-guidelines-of-care/
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