AIIMS dermatologist reveals why so many youngsters in India are going bald

Hair fall has become one of the biggest concerns for young Indians today, with many noticing receding hairlines before they even hit their mid-twenties. The panic around thinning hair has fueled endless searches for miracle oils, shampoos, and supplements—but none seem to truly work. So, what’s really causing this early onset of baldness? Dr Gaurang Krishna, a hair transplant surgeon and dermatologist with an MD from AIIMS, New Delhi, recently broke down the science behind it in a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan.

Genetics
Dr Krishna explained that hair loss is rarely due to a single cause. It’s the result of multiple factors working together—genetics, nutrition, lifestyle, and environmental stress. While most people tend to blame pollution or stress, he revealed that genetics plays the biggest role, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of baldness cases. Whether it’s male pattern baldness or hair thinning in women, the hereditary factor dominates.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The next 20 per cent, he said, comes down to lifestyle and nutrition. Poor diets, lack of protein and vitamins, irregular sleep, excessive stress, and minimal physical activity all weaken the body’s ability to nourish hair follicles. A healthy lifestyle, including exercise and proper rest, helps maintain stem cell activity that supports hair growth.

Pollution

The remaining 10 per cent of the problem stems from external elements like air and water pollution, including the use of hard water. Together, these create an environment where hair loss progresses much faster—especially for those who already carry the baldness gene.

Why do genes play an important role?

Dr Krishna clarified that people without a genetic predisposition to baldness usually retain their hair even with an unhealthy lifestyle. In contrast, those with the baldness gene will experience gradual hair thinning over time, regardless of how clean or disciplined their habits are. However, when both poor lifestyle and genetics collide, baldness tends to accelerate and appear more severe than in previous generations.

He highlighted that this pattern explains the alarming trend among young adults today. In his father’s generation, baldness typically started appearing around the age of 50. But now, many are losing hair as early as 18 or 20. Dr Krishna attributed this to rising stress levels, nutrient-poor diets, erratic sleep cycles, and the overall lifestyle changes that define modern urban living.