Millions of men and women face the new or ongoing trauma of hair loss. Whether from genetics, cancer treatment or poor epidermal scalp health, hair loss is difficult to face. Imagine your teeth suddenly falling out as you reach your twenties and thirties. You would understandably be distressed and would seek the attention of a qualified dentist to prevent further decay and correct the loss. No one would question your motivation to correct this cosmetic problem, in an effort to restore your appearance to a favorable condition.
Hair loss to many men is quite similar. An otherwise young healthy male is suddenly faced with a gradual, yet dramatic change in their appearance for the worse. This change in appearance is progressive and permanent. They are on one hand depressed about the appearance and stigma of baldness and on the other they are often ashamed to admit that the condition bothers them. The dilemma is compounded by the fact that socially and historically it is unmanly for a male to be concerned about his appearance. Equally, one with religious convictions may be challenged to wrestle with the moral concept of vanity over accepting one's lot in life. Women, on the other hand, may be deeply impacted by hair loss, but the means by which to correct is considered normal and otherwise encouraged.
At the onset of hair loss denial is often the first response. A young man sees a change in his hair, the temples are receding or the crown seems a bit thin, but he denies to himself that it could be happening to him. This strategy only works for so long. Sooner or later the thinning increases or a "sensitive" friend points out his increasingly visible scalp at a large social gathering. Every time he talks to someone their eyes seem to travel to his vanishing hairline.
After denial there is usually panic. All the societal implications of baldness start racing through the thoughts. To be bald you are older, boring, unmanly and lack sex appeal. There are no positive characteristics associated with baldness. Depression often occurs at the onset of hair loss and in some cases never subsides. The image we see in the mirror can affect our social conduct and self-esteem. Often young men will not go out and socialize because of their hair loss.
Next comes acceptance. Many men simply accept hair loss as part of the passage of life after all hair loss is a normal genetic trait passed on from generation to generation. There are certainly many handsome masculine individuals who have chosen to accept or simply ignore their hair loss. Unfortunately not all men are created entirely equal and acceptance of the inevitable is a characteristic that varies dramatically. Hair loss is not something we are born with, it happens later in life after we have gotten use to seeing ourselves a certain way. Even the term hair LOSS. We LOST something we had, that is a problem! Our hair is the frame of our face, just like a attractive frame and matting compliment a picture, our hair compliments the features on our face. And just like that picture, if we take away the frame, the picture appears plainer and less attractive.
No one is immune from the effects of hair loss, no matter how lofty their position in life. We've all seen those famous and powerful men who show signs of having difficulty accepting their loss. The politician or power broker with the comb-over, or the actor with the toupee, or the entertainer who is never without a hat or head covering, are all examples of difficulty-accepting-his-hair-loss syndrome.
For every actor, model or politician who seek consultation about hair loss, there are ordinary men who typically are not vain or concerned about the appearance in general but cannot accept going bald. Age also is not a factor. Although generally a young man suffers going bald more than a mature male in his fifties or sixties, older men will still feel their hair loss has unfairly aged them. They don't want to change their appearance but rather restore it to a fairer picture of who they are.
