Losing your hair may cause you to scour the internet in search for what the problem may be. There are so many theories out there that it’s hard to figure out which ones are true and which ones aren’t. If you’ve heard that hair length affects balding, you may be wondering if this is really true. So, does hair length affect balding?

No, Hair Length Does Not Matter

Male pattern hair loss is caused by the hair follicle gradually shrinking, becoming smaller and finer over time. This process eventually ends up as a loss of those hair follicles. This process happens underneath the skin of your scalp, meaning anything outside of that skin has no effect on balding. The part of the hair that is visible is considered dead protein and has no biochemical activity going on inside of it. Therefore, no matter the length of your hair, there’s no way for it to affect the process going on under the skin. Men who are prone to male pattern hair loss will those their hair in the same time span no matter if their hair is long or short.

Different lengths of hair may make it appear as though someone has more hair loss than may appear with a different hairstyle. For example, when someone has grown out their hair to a longer length, they may notice finer strands of hair that weren’t noticeably fine when they had it cut short. Generally, the longer the hair grows out, the more apparent the thinning becomes, especially when it’s wet.

Length of Hair May Cause Loss Due to Pulling

There is one instance in which long hair may contribute to hair loss, but it is not the type of permanent hair loss indicative of male pattern baldness. When hair is pulled too tight in braids or another type of pulled back hairstyle, some of it may get pulled out. However, this hair eventually grows back, so it is not a form of balding.

Making a change to the length of your hair will not slow or stop balding in any way. It’s best if you fight hair loss with scientifically proven methods if you want to see significant results.