Does Beard Growth Slow Down with Age? Explained!

Men’s beard is dependent on many factors, one of them being testosterone. High levels can help with the thickness and fullness of your beard.

As you grow older, your testosterone levels lower. Hence, your beard, along with its growth rate, will be affected. So yes, it can slow down due to age but the more specific answer is that it fluctuates.

Though, it still depends on the person. Some can grow very old and still have the same growth rate as they had when they were 18 years old.

How does aging affect it?

Once we grow older, our body wouldn’t be able to keep up with the production of hair. That’s why people grow bald spots as they get older.

While the reason is scientific, it could also be attributed to the fact that your beard isn’t just affected by testosterone levels but also your health.

As we age, our body takes a toll and wouldn’t be able to maintain the same health as it did before. So, it’s also the consequences that come with aging.

Moreover, it also depends on what we do while we age. If you were to spend your time stressing out and keeping unhealthy habits then you would have much thinner hair and beard than other people your age.

At the same time, it could also just be genetics. It is an absolute indicator of our beard and there’s little that we can do to improve upon it.

The fluctuation of beard growth due to age

The growth rate of our beard isn’t a steady decline. It fluctuates, especially during our semi-younger years which is around 18 to 30 years old.

Many men will experience an advanced growth rate during their 20s only to fluctuate as they grow older before picking up again.

Some don’t encounter this fluctuation until years later, it just really depends on the person as well as their genetics.

While the pattern does tend to vary based on the individual, general fluctuations still hold value in general.

Is there a cure to slow beard growth due to old age?

Frankly no, it’s a natural process that cannot be manipulated by medicine or therapy. One thing you can do is prevent it by always being healthy and respecting the boundaries of your beard.

What is meant by boundaries is that you should not be overdoing things too much and always keeping an eye out for your health, both physical and mental.

Once we’re old, our hair and beard will grow weaker, finer, and lighter every time it goes through the process/phases of hair growth and regrows.

It might seem like the end but DON’T stress out

If you’re worried about losing your beard then you shouldn’t stress yourself, it will only make the situation worse.

Stress has been proven to aid in hair and beard loss as well as the greying of the beard. So, take a step back and breath, do not worry about it too much.

If possible, try incorporating a meditation exercise or a relaxing hobby to keep you occupied and stable in your current lifestyle.

Moving on, the first thing you need to do is check on your health and see if there’s anything that may have slowed down your beard growth aside from age.

If not, we have outlined other factors that may have contributed to your current situation.

Other factors that slow down beard growth

You might be confused since you’re relatively young yet your beard has already slowed its growth. Well, it could be because of numerous other reasons, possibly even a combination of these.

It depends on the kind of life that you’re living right now and the decisions that might have affected your beard.

If you want to keep your beard healthy, pay attention to all of the things you do.

Not eating enough

Facial hair growth requires a high amount of energy. If you’re not eating well, your body would have to prioritize your energy for daily use rather than your beard, making it less full and slowing down the growth.

Your daily intake of calories should be higher the longer you want your beard to be and the faster you want to reach that goal.

And according to a 7-year study, men who ate low-calorie diets are prone to having low levels of testosterone which hinders healthy beard growth.

Not enough vitamins and minerals

To grow a beard, you’d need a sufficient number of hormones and your body can only produce it if you’re getting sufficient vitamins and minerals.

You’d need a healthy number of fat-soluble vitamins along with B-complex, zinc, magnesium, boron, calcium, selenium, and others that would help you maintain a stable production of hormones.

If you’re having a hard time with this or can’t change your current diet due to health issues, try intaking supplements instead.

Changes in hormone levels

Was your beard growth stable but suddenly stalled? It could be due to a low level of either Testosterone, Dihydrotestosterone, or both.

These hormones are the ones responsible for stimulating your beard growth. A sudden tank in levels could’ve suddenly slowed it down.

You should track down exactly what happened to cause such a sudden drop. While it doesn’t bring permanent damage to your beard, it can be a sign of an underlying health issue.

Your beard’s terminal length

Beards don’t inherently stop growing, they just stop growing at a certain length. A sudden stop in beard growth could just mean that they’re in the last phase/stage wherein the hair will fall/shed.

Don’t worry though, the hair follicle will restart and you’ll be growing hair on that spot again. It will grow for 2 to 6 years before shedding again.

Unfortunately, there’s little that you can do to increase your terminal length. The only thing you could do is create an illusion that it’s longer based on the styling.

Your beard routine is too much

You may be too enthusiastic about taking care of/styling your beard that you may have gone overboard with the products.

While it’s great to be into beard routines, it can be excessive to the point where it will stop/slow down your beard growth.

Using too many products or giving too much stimulation will cause your beard to be unhealthy. It’s like when you put too much water on a plant, it will drown.

Actions like these will damage your beard and prevent it from growing:

• Combing your beard too frequently
• Using too many beard products
• Stimulating your beard multiple times a day (Brushing, picking on it)
• Washing it multiple times a day

Thankfully, the cure for this problem is to stop early before it’s too late. All you need to do is cut down on the excessiveness of everything and balance it out.

You’ve shaved too often

There’s a myth about how shaving would stimulate beard growth and even make it grow longer than your terminal length.

But nope, it’s not true. It only seems like it’s growing thicker since you’re shaving off the fine tips, making it look like you have a thicker stub. In reality, your tips just look rougher which creates this whole illusion that you’ll grow a thicker beard.

You’re a natural slow grower

Unfortunately, there’s little that we can do to battle genetics. Sometimes, we just roll the gene dice and get the short end of the stick.

But you’re not the unluckiest person in the world. Some men can’t grow beards at all, as much as they want.

So, no matter how long that stubble has been a stubble, you should still celebrate the fact that you’re able to grow a beard.

Is there a way to speed up the growth process?

Yes, there are a few ways in which you can speed up the growth process. Some of it may be completely therapeutic or unconventional.

Your health

One is by tackling your health. Before you can properly grow a beard, you’d need to set up the proper environment for it.

Being healthy and having a diet that consists of a lot of energy will aid in your growth process. After all, growing a beard will surely deplete your energy, you need to have a lot reserved for a satisfying growth rate.

Increasing testosterone

Your testosterone levels will stimulate beard growth. Make sure that you’re not doing anything that lowers the level of it.

Eat Carbs, Fat, and Protein

Your diet can have a direct impact on your hormone levels meaning what you eat will determine if your testosterone will increase or not.

Try incorporating whole foods and others that are rich in fats, carbohydrates, and protein into your daily meal

Get enough Vitamin D

It’s simple enough. You can just hang outside every morning to get that daily dose of Vitamin D. And if you’re not into that, you can still take Vitamin D supplements.

Natural testosterone booster

There are only a few that have the title of natural testosterone booster, the one leading it is the ashwagandha, an herb in Ayurveda. It is a traditional form of alternative medicine that is based on the Indian Principles of National Healing.

Aside from affecting your testosterone levels, it also helps in relieving stress, improving concentration, and increasing energy levels.

Beard loss drugs/supplements

There is specific medicine out there designed for beard loss and it may be the answer to your problems. Of course, you should still consult your doctor in case it has adverse effects on your health, especially if you’re already having issues.

Peppermint Essential Oil

It is a scientifically proven fact that peppermint essential oil aids in beard growth. Lucky for you, it’s a common ingredient in beard oils.

Just make sure that it doesn’t go inside your mouth, it’s much better to just apply it topically than ingest it orally as it could lower testosterone levels.

Derma roller

If you’ve ever heard of micro-needling, this is a similar process. It is a microneedle procedure that speeds up the growth process by enhancing your beard circulation.

How does it do that? Well, it stimulates your circulation and also produces collagen, something that helps in accelerating beard growth.

Lastly, minoxidil

Minoxidil is a popular topical drug that is normally used to treat hair loss. And as you guessed it, it can also help in beard growth. It has proven effects to not just help in the growth process but also thicken your beard.

So, there you have it, a few tips on how you can grow a beard faster. Just remember to be patient, because good things come to those who wait. And if you can’t grow a beard, there’s always the mustache! Also, take a look at our post here where we try out minoxidil’s effects!

Consult a professional

Before you try out any of these methods, always strive to consult a professional first. You may have issues that are not compatible which can provide further harm to your well-being.

And if you’re wondering whether these situations apply to you, it’s always good to be clinically diagnosed if ever it’s an underlying issue rather than a small problem in testosterone levels.

Conclusion

Nothing in life is constant, even our beards, it fluctuates based on our hormone levels and both our physical and mental health.

And it’s just as unique as us, the composition and circumstance are different from person to person, making it hard to generalize situations regarding the beard.

The best way to understand it is to look inward and be specific to your situation. By doing that, you’re counting on all the factors that can be attributed to your beard.

It’s a great way to learn about your beard while at the same time being prepared for sudden changes that come.