Why Is My Beard Hair Falling Out?

You’ve worked hard to grow your beard, so it can be disappointing to look in the mirror and wonder, why is my beard thinning? While less common than balding along the hairline or crown, facial hair loss can happen, leaving your beard looking patchy and incomplete.

So, why are you losing facial hair? One cause of beard hair loss is a particular type of alopecia known as alopecia barbae.

The causes of this form of alopecia are both simple and complicated, depending on how far you want to go down the rabbit hole. 

The key to figuring out how you might reverse the damage, however, is to understand alopecia barbae in detail. Here, we’ll break down what causes alopecia barbae, its treatment options plus other common causes of facial hair loss.

To understand alopecia barbae, you first need to understand its parent hair loss type: alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease categorized by extensive hair loss. 

With alopecia areata, your immune system mistakenly sees your hair follicle as an invader ​​and attacks your follicles as if they are foreign bodies. As you’d probably expect, this causes damage to the hair follicles.

The damage done by this can cause temporary hair loss (which could be why you are losing facial hair), and it could eventually become permanent if the damage is not addressed.

Alopecia areata is not contagious and often develops during a person’s teenage years. It can happen once or in unpredictable and recurring cycles. 

The American Academy of Dermatology Association says that alopecia areata can manifest in a variety of ways, with hair loss being patchy in one location or widespread. 

The patches of hair loss can even change from one part of the body to another, healing and reappearing in new places. 

Typically, alopecia areata impacts the scalp, but it can frequently affect other body hair as well (in these cases, the disease is typically referred to as alopecia universalis). When it affects only the facial hair, it’s known as alopecia barbae.

Alopecia barbae is a particular type of localized hair loss that occurs when alopecia areata affects just your beard. It is caused by an autoimmune process in the body.

People with certain autoimmune disease types, from hay fever to vitiligo, thyroid diseases to atopic dermatitis, asthma, and even Down syndrome are at a higher risk of developing alopecia areata and, by extension, alopecia barbae. 

Autoimmune hair loss can be associated with other diseases, as well. 

Some of these include:

•  Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus

• Pemphigus foliaceous

• Morphea, hypothyroidism

• Hashimoto's thyroiditis (a type of thyroid disease)

• Addison's disease

• Pernicious anemia

• Lupus erythematosus

• Lichen planus

• Endemic goiter

• Diabetes mellitus

It’s not entirely clear who is most likely to deal with patchy beard hair loss. One study suggests that you’re more likely to suffer from alopecia areata if you’re Hispanic or Black.

However, the study only included women, and as researchers noted, more studies to be conducted to claim for certain.

Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatment options specifically just for alopecia barbae, but there are FDA-approved treatments for alopecia areata — as well as other options to address the underlying causes and symptoms. 

Dealing with this condition requires a gentle balance between getting the autoimmune condition under control and treating the symptoms.

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids are one way to treat symptoms. They can either be injected directly into a bald spot or applied topically. One study found 70 percent hair regrowth in people with alopecia areata who were treated with corticosteroids, though a common side effect is localized atrophy (skin thinning).

Both injection and topical options will need to be prescription strength and recommended by a dermatology practitioner.

Minoxidil

Minoxidil (also sold under the brand name Rogaine® and Theroxidil®) is a topical product commonly used as a treatment for hair loss. We offer minoxidil foam and minoxidil solution. 

While it’s not entirely clear how minoxidil works, its goal is to encourage hair regrowth in locations where loss of hair has been noted. 

While not FDA-approved for alopecia barbae, it has shown benefits in some patients. 

Because everyone’s treatment strategy for alopecia areata will be different, each patient’s reaction to their individual treatment plan will likely also be different. 

In other words, there may be some struggles to find the right treatment — work with your healthcare provider to find the right one for you. 

If you’re a bit of a hair loss connoisseur, then you may know that minoxidil and finasteride are two hair loss medications that are commonly paired together (like in our topical finasteride & minoxidil spray). 

Finasteride works by inhibiting DHT, a hormone responsible for shrinking hair follicles, which contributes to baldness. While these are a fantastic duo for fighting male pattern baldness, in a strange turn of events, DHT is actually necessary for beard growth, so finasteride isn’t a great choice for facial hair loss. This seems counterintuitive, but it does help to explain how so many bald guys rock awesome beards.

If you want to learn more about minoxidil and facial hair, check out our post on minoxidil and beard growth.

Diphencyprone (DPCP)

DPCP is a medication that can be applied to balding areas; research has found positive results in beard regrowth anecdotally (the medication has not been the subject of published studies). DPCP induces an allergic reaction on the skin, which sounds like a bad thing, but it decreases the immune response characteristic of alopecia areata

Anthralin

Anthralin is a cream typically prescribed to treat psoriasis, but it may also help with facial hair thinning. It’s left on the skin for anywhere from thirty minutes to a few hours. One small study found that DPCP paired with anthralin had higher regrowth rates of the eyebrows, eyelashes, and beard hair than those treated with DPCP alone.

Baricitinib

Baricitinib (Olumiant®) is an FDA-approved treatment for severe alopecia areata. The once-daily pill interferes with cell signaling that causes inflammation, and less inflammation means hair can regrow. The clinical trials specifically measured the regrowth of hair on the scalp, and baricitinib is not specifically approved for alopecia barbae. Still, you can speak to your doctor about its potential as a treatment option.

Most of these treatments take time to work, and while you’re waiting, you might consider trying cosmetic hair powder (or even an eyebrow pencil) to fill in sparse areas of your beard. 

If you’re seeing patchy hair loss, interrupted beard growth, and other signs of alopecia barbae, your first priority should be consulting a healthcare professional.

Facial hair loss due to treatable medical conditions is something that needs immediate attention, and autoimmune diseases need to be managed as soon as possible. 

A healthcare provider may recommend different treatments, whether for the disease itself, for hair loss, or for both.

It’s possible you’ll still see permanent hair loss even with help, and chronic hair loss issues may recur unpredictably. 

However, the best tool for combating facial hair thinning or loss is to have a professional monitor your condition. 

While alopecia barbae is a known cause of facial hair loss, it’s not the only one. So, if you’re wondering why you’re losing facial hair and you’ve ruled out alopecia, you’ll find other potential causes of beard hair loss below. 

• Excess grooming. Sometimes, giving your beard too much attention isn’t a good thing, as excessive brushing or pulling can weaken the hair or cause it to break off. Try using a beard brush when your beard needs detangling, and condition it with beard oil, which will moisturize the hairs, making them less prone to breakage. Try to be gentle when drying your beard (a t-shirt can be gentler than a towel). Excessive pulling can cause traction alopecia of the beard.

• Your natural hair growth cycle. If your beard hair loss seems pretty minimal, it could be that you’re losing hairs that are in the resting phase (telogen) of the hair growth cycle — it’s normal to shed 50 to 100 hairs a day (not necessarily from your beard). 

• Nutritional deficiencies. While more research is needed on the link between nutrition and facial hair specifically, a 2017 study found that nutritional deficiencies can impact both hair structure and growth. The study mentioned iron, niacin, zinc, fatty acids, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E, folic acid, amino acids, and biotin (our biotin gummies can help with that).

• Trichtotillomania. This is a mental health disorder in which the main symptom is hair pulling. If you’re losing beard hair because you have the urge to pull it out, speak to a mental health provider who will help discern whether you’re experiencing trichotillomania.

• Certain medications. Chemotherapy, anti-parkinsonian, and HIV medications (among others) can cause hair loss as a side effect, which can affect hair on the scalp and the face. 

• Seborrheic dermatitis. This is a common skin disease that affects the scalp, face, and body. When seborrheic dermatitis occurs on the face, it can lead to hair shedding and hair thinning. Speak to a dermatologist about treatment options — products you’d normally use to help treat this condition when it’s on the scalp (like anti-dandruff shampoo) may strip the moisture of delicate skin on the face, leaving it feeling dry. 

While it may seem like a cosmetic issue, if you’re noticing facial hair thinning, it could be a sign of a medical issue. Here are a few things to keep in mind about beard hair loss:

• Alopecia barbae is an autoimmune disorder that specifically causes a loss of facial hair. The reality of having an autoimmune condition is that treatment can be a long, arduous process. For many autoimmune conditions, cures simply don’t exist, and it can be a distressing side effect to see your facial hair thinning.

• What’s important is that those patches of hair loss don’t weigh on your confidence while dealing with an illness. If your beard is your signature and you don’t want to shave it (we get it) consider filling in bald patches with hair powder or an eyebrow pencil while you wait for treatment options to work.

• Beard hair loss can have other causes, including nutritional deficiencies, normal shedding, or excess styling and pulling (everyone likes a good beard tug while they’re thinking, but it can be damaging over time).

Hair growth products — especially minoxidil — can help restore facial hair in some situations, but be sure to also speak with a healthcare professional who can address your health needs and recommend the best hair loss treatments for your specific situation.