The last strand: This study says working long hours could lead to major hair loss

If the average American works more hours than a medieval peasant, imagine what that means for your hair.

A new study found that men working long hours at the office might double the risk of going bald. The study, published in journal Annals of Occupational and Environmental, had South Korea researchers examine more than 13,000 participates ranging between ages 20 and 59. They found that long working hours are significantly associated with the increased development of alopecia — or hair loss — in Korean male workers.

Researchers had asked male participants to not take alopecia medicine back in 2013 in order to follow up with them after four years in 2017. Participants were divided into different groups where they were judged on their average workweek. The groups assigned were categorized based on average workweek: normal (40 hours a week), long (up to 52 hours a week), and much longer (those who spent more than 52 hours at work over the week).

The last strand

The results weren’t exactly shocking. The study found that people who were in the much longer grouping — i.e. those working more than 52 hours a week — had nearly a 4% increase in alopecia. Specifically, twenty and thirty-somethings had twice the alopecia development rate as someone in the same age range working less than 40 hours a week, according to the study.

So what’s the reason behind possible hair loss? With longer hours and more concentrated focus on work, the main culprit for hair loss is… stress.

“We can cautiously assume that the relationship between long working hours and the development of alopecia is likely to be mediated by job-related stress,” researchers said.

That revelation bodes poorly for American men, as 66% will experience some type of hair loss by age 35, according to the American Hair Loss Association.

Combine that with being overworked, no one will have hair.