Dhurandhar Actor Akshaye Khanna Reveals He Began Losing Hair At 19: What Causes Early Balding And Why It’s Not Always Genetic

Dhurandhar actor Akshaye Khanna opens up about hair loss at 19. Here's what triggers premature balding and why it's not always genetic.

Actor Akshaye Khanna has been quite open about his experience of hair loss, and he has admitted that he started losing his hair as early as he was 19. His confession has touched the minds of the youths who believe that balding is a phenomenon that is experienced at later stages of life. Premature baldness may be a stressful experience, particularly because of the culture in which a full head of hair is associated with youth and self confidence. Nevertheless, as medical professionals emphasise, premature balding is much more widespread than one might suppose, and not necessarily caused by genetics alone.

Premature alopecia or early balding is generally defined as visible thinning in hair or loss of hair at the hairline at the age of less than 30. Although male pattern baldness occurs most widely, it is possible to have diffuse shedding, patchy shedding or abrupt shedding among young adults. The fact that Akshaye Khanna started losing his hair at a very early age, as shown in his experience, indicates that the process may start at a very young age and develop with the passage of time.

Some Factors Responsible For Early Balding

Here are some factors that are responsible for Early Balding

Genetics

Genetics has been found to have a great influence on hair loss, and more so androgenetic alopecia, which is associated with hypersensitivity to the hormone dihydrotestosterone. The risk is increased in case of early baldness of close family members.

Chronic Stress

Chronic stress has been rated among the least recognised causes of early balding. Normal growth of hair can be disrupted by academic pressure, career confusion, emotional stress, insomnia and anxiety. When a person is under high stress the hair follicles would be forced to enter a rest period and over shedding would occur, a condition referred to as telogen effluvium.

Lifestyle Factors

There is the issue of lifestyle habits. Abnormal sleep cycles, nicotine consumption, alcohol abuse and sedentary lifestyle may slow down the blood flow to head, weakening of hair follicles with time. Among the busy young people with tight schedules, these factors may silently increase the rate of hair loss.

Malnutrition And Deficiencies

Nutrition is closely associated with the health of hair. Lack of iron, protein, vitamin D, zinc, and B complex vitamins may result in thinning hair and hair fall. Fad dieting, starving oneself, or following fad diets without the advice of a doctor may cause the body to lack nutrients necessary to grow hair. These deficiencies in most instances can be corrected and this can slow or even reverse early hair loss.

Hormonal Disorders And Medical Diagnoses

Another significant cause of premature balding is hormonal changes. Hair texture, thickness and growth can condition such disorders as thyroid. Hair follicles may also be destroyed by scalp infections such as dandruff, fungi or chronic inflammation when untreated. Some drugs, such as acne medication, depression medication, and hormone regulation drugs, can cause hair loss.

Hair Styling And Hair Care Habits

Overheating of hair, frequent chemical and tight hairstyles and tough hair products may lead to weakening of hair shafts and destruction of follicles. Although these activities cannot be related to genetic baldness, they can increase the severity of existing hair loss and amplify the effects of thinning due to age.

Overall, the best thing about Akshaye Khanna is that he makes the discussions on hair loss very normal, reminding people that being bald does not mean that one is a failure or in poor health. Hair loss is a multidimensional biological process, of which a great number of factors contribute to it, most of which cannot be controlled by individuals. Early balding may start in the late teens, and that is how it is in the case of Akshaye Khanna. Although a significant contribution is made by genetics, it is stress, lifestyle, nutrition, hormonal health, and hair care that are very important, but taking the right measures at the right time is also very important.