Last Updated on April 7, 2017 by Robert Price
If you’re balding in college, you’re definitely not alone. While watching the 2017 NCAA tournament this weekend, I saw many young guys in the early stages of male pattern baldness. I counted at least 1 balding player per team in the games I watched, and there were often more than that. Przemek Karnowski was the biggest, most conspicuous balding star, primary because of his size — he’s listed at 7’1″ feet tall and 300 pounds! He looks like he’s working on an early type 5 or six (a la, Louis CK) pattern on the Norwood Scale, which measures baldness.
Did you know that hair loss is quite common among college-aged men in their late teens and early 20s? It’s true, and you can learn more basic facts about male pattern baldness in this post, Hair Loss 101 – Everything You Need to Know About Balding.
According to the American Hair Loss Association, 25% of begin the process before the age of 21. So, while 25% of the dudes at your college probably aren’t noticeably bald or balding, many of them are going to be joining the bald community at some point, in the near future.
Hair loss is a far more common issue than most people realize. I was lucky. When I was in college, I certainly didn’t know that such a significant percentage of my peers were experiencing male pattern baldness. If you aren’t so lucky, I’m sorry, but you’ll be fine, I assure you.
Whether you choose to embrace baldness or seek treatment for your hair loss is up to you. It’s good to have options, no doubt.
Robert Price is a writer, consumer advocate, and hair loss researcher with thousands of hours of experience in the field. His goal is to keep you out of the hair loss rabbit hole, underworld, or whatever you want to call it. He founded Hair Loss Daily, the unbiased hair loss blog, in 2016. You can learn more about Robert in the my story section of this website.
Yes, there were more than a few classmates in college who were balding. One was already almost Norwood 7 bald. Everyone felt sorry for them, except me. I was insanely jealous of them and wished I was balding like them and getting a lot of all the good natured teasing about going bald. My turn to go bald came thirty years later and I am finally getting my share of teasing from family and friends. I like getting teased because I love being bald. My wife is the worst ‘offender’, except I’m not offended and she knows it. Going bald and being married to a woman who loves MPB was/is a dream come true.