Seeing a clump of hair in the shower drain often triggers fears of hair loss. But specialists say the number of strands that fall out matters less than whether the hair growing back has become thinner than before.
237,009 Hair Loss Patients Last Year, 36.5% in Their 20s and 30s
A total of 237,009 people visited hospitals for hair loss last year, according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Of those, 35,803 were in their 20s and 50,712 in their 30s, meaning patients in their 20s and 30s accounted for 36.5% of the total.
The number of people with androgenetic alopecia — commonly called M-shaped or male-pattern hair loss — is believed to be far higher. Academic estimates put the figure at around 10 million in South Korea. HIRA data show that 23,000 to 28,000 patients a year have visited hospitals for androgenetic alopecia since 2022, but analysts say the actual patient population is not fully captured in the statistics because the condition is not covered by national health insurance.
The government has been reviewing whether to extend health insurance coverage to androgenetic alopecia treatments. After President Lee Jae-myung called for a review at a policy briefing late last year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare pushed for a public participation forum. But patient groups for severe illnesses and parts of the medical community objected over health insurance priorities, and the ministry halted the discussion in June, saying it would review the matter over time.
Losing 100 Strands a Day Can Be Normal — Here's What to Watch
So how can actual hair loss be identified? Cho Dong-chan, a research professor of convergence medical science at Hanyang University, said on the YouTube channel Jisik Inside that what matters is not the number of strands falling out but whether hair is turning into fine, downy growth, a process known as miniaturization.
Healthy people also shed roughly 50 to 100 strands a day, with new hair growing in their place. As hair loss progresses, follicles gradually shrink and the new hair that emerges becomes thinner and weaker than before.
There are ways to check at home. The first is to compare hair at the front or crown with hair at the back. Hair at the back, which is less affected by hormones, tends to keep its thickness, while hair at the front or crown can become noticeably thinner once hair loss begins.
It is also worth checking whether more scalp is visible along the part line or at the crown than in the past. A receding M-shaped hairline at the temples, or an increase in soft, downy strands where thick hair once grew, are other signs that may point to hair loss.
Anti-Hair-Loss Shampoo Has Limits: 'The Earlier the Treatment, the Better'
There is no need to wash hair less often just because strands come out during shampooing, Cho said. Hair that falls out while shampooing was already due to shed, he said, adding that a buildup of sebum and waste can instead cause inflammation and worsen the scalp environment. Koreans generally do well to wash once a day with lukewarm water, or morning and evening as needed for oily scalps, he said.
Anti-hair-loss shampoos and supplements such as biotin cannot replace medical treatment either. They may help improve the scalp environment or nutritional status, but they do not directly block the production of dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, the main driver of male-pattern hair loss. Cho stressed the importance of starting proven treatments — oral drugs in the finasteride and dutasteride classes, or minoxidil — before follicles have fully degenerated.
Habitually wearing a hat for long stretches also calls for caution. Choi, a fashion stylist and content creator known as Team Leader Choi, said sweat, sebum and waste can accumulate inside a hat worn for long periods, worsening the scalp environment, and that hats need to be kept clean.
