Balding not only old men’s woe
By Yun Suh-young
Kim Joon is 35 and is due to marry soon. He is receiving hair implant treatment at a hospital in southern Seoul because he doesn’t want to look too old in the wedding picture.
He has pattern alopecia just as his father did. His family has a history of baldness but for Kim, the first signs came earlier than expected due to work stress.
Kim is not alone. Baldness is not an aging phenomenon anymore. There are many more men in their 20s and 30s going bald.
Data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) show that the number of male patients receiving treatment for alopecia has increased by 4.1 percent to 100,998 in 2011 from 2007.
“More patients in their 20s and 30s are visiting our hospital. There are still more men than women. These patients wear a hat when they come in order to cover up their baldness. They’re not as confident when interacting but they’re very enthusiastic about receiving treatment,” said an official at Hwang Sung-ju’s Hair Center, a professional hair transplantation center located in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul.
The number of people buying wigs is also on the rise. According to an official at Hi-Mo, the biggest wig manufacturing company in the country, more and more young people are buying wigs although exact numbers aren’t available.
The problem is also not limited to men. The number of female patients also rose by 4 percent to 93,737 during the same period.
According to age groups, those receiving treatment were mainly in their 30s, representing 25 percent of the total number of patients last year. Those in their 40s accounted for 21.6 percent, followed by twentysomethings at 20.8 percent.
The younger generations were more active in receiving treatment in order not to lose confidence in their appearance, according to HIRA.
The balding phenomenon is caused by various factors such as hereditary genes, stress, hormones, food consumption, environment and even methods of shampooing.
There are four types of alopecia: pattern alopecia also called alopecia areata in which hair falls out in a circular form; androgenic alopecia caused by the hormone androgen; non-specific alopecia; and alopecia caused by scarring.
The most common form found in men is alopecia areata (75 percent) where parts of the head show hair loss causing circular patches.
“There’s no direct way to prevent balding but there are ways to minimize it. It’s important to shampoo properly. It’s not good to shampoo too often or use too much of it,” said Moon Kee-chan, professor at the Department of Dermatology at Asan Medical Center, who participated in the research.
“Cleaning must be done thoroughly and it is recommended they allow their hair to dry without using a hair dryer,” said Moon. “Also, try to reduce stress and avoid excessive dieting,” he added.