Gen Z vs. Millennials: Is hair loss getting worse?

This is just my personal take based on my own observations, so I’m curious if anyone else feels the same way—and please, let's keep this out of the hair loss thread.

When I look at photos of the older crowd—people in their 40s now, and I’m not just talking about my own folks—their hair just looks... different.

Now, some might argue it's just down to hairstyles or how they cut it, but honestly, I think that's a pretty silly way to look at it. I'm seeing more and more guys (and by guys, I mean anyone under 20) who already have receding hairlines, horseshoe patterns, or high foreheads.

It looks so unnatural to me that I can't even put it into words. I mean, seeing older men deal with hair issues is basically part of life—nobody really thinks twice about it anymore.

But seeing a 19-year-old kid with a horseshoe hairline or visible thinning? I just can't wrap my head around it. It all comes down to thinness—I don't know exactly what the cause is, but I am certain that the average head of hair used to be much thicker and higher quality than what we see today.

You’ve got a point there. Over the last two decades, alopecia has become a much more frequent diagnosis, though we're still grasping at straws regarding the exact cause. It likely boils down to our constant exposure to environmental toxins or, more probably, what we're putting in our bodies. Take industrial livestock, for example. In the US, many meat producers pump animals full of hormones and antibiotics just to force rapid growth and keep them alive in those cramped, unsanitary factory farms. There is no doubt that some of those chemicals eventually make their way onto our dinner plates.
Beyond contamination, there's the matter of stress. Honestly, I think the baseline level of anxiety hanging over us today is significantly higher than it was twenty years ago.

@ keskin, I honestly find it baffling how many guys my age—around 25—are already going gray. My boyfriend is only 29, yet he’s already seeing quite a bit of silver. Could it be the processed food, environmental toxins, all the meds we take, or even just constant exposure to radiation from our phones and tech? Or maybe we’re all just way too sedentary compared to previous generations? I remember reading somewhere that male pattern baldness is driven by hormones, and we all know damn well that those hormone levels are heavily influenced by the cocktail of chemicals and drugs in our modern diet. Someone with actual expertise please tell me if I'm off base here. 🤷