Baldness is not always inevitable, and the amount and rate of loss can often be diminished with the correct treatment. Different treatments work for some people but not for others, all of which we will be looking at in greater detail in later pages..

First Impressions

That age old saying that we always hear "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" always seems to spring to mind when people are worried about hair loss. While it may not seem right that people should be judged on their looks, our society still does not accept people as they are but how they look or rather how we perceive the way they should look. If someone is at all self conscious about their hair before meeting people, then inevitably they will lose confidence and probably cause embarrassment to themselves by worrying unduly. Unfortunately it is difficult to persuade people not to worry needlessly about such things, however much we try.

Baldness and Virility

Hair and its beauty have long been associated with youth, virility, strength and sensuality and has always been considered a sexual object by both sexes.

A common, but rather sadly misleading statement is that bald men are more virile and make better lovers, thus compensating for the lack of hair. The truth is that hair loss will not make a man more virile, it is just a myth put about by bald men to try and make up for their loss of hair. Hair loss is definitely not a sign of virility despite the rumors to the contrary. Although for a lot of people it would be wonderful if it were true.

It is often commented that bald men can be extremely attractive, but the only person who seems to be named is actually Sean Connery. This seems pretty contradictory as in most of the movies that he has ever made he is usually wearing a wig or hair piece of some description, it is very seldom that he actually ever appears as a bald headed hunk. If Sean Connery were not a super star and household name then the chances are that he could walk down the street unnoticed, and would probably not be considered a sex symbol. Apart from Sean Connery, virtually all the other male sex symbols have fine manes of hair, which would suggest that public opinion is that, for a man to be sexy, he should appear with a full head of hair, and unfortunately public opinion is what sets the fashion trends in our society.

Hair and the Body

The whole body is actually covered with hair except our lips, the soles of the feet and the palms of our hands. Body hair is called villous hair and is a fine and downy hair type, particularly on a female.

Amongst animals hair is a protector from the cold and rain. Whilst hair is not so physically vital to survival for humans, the psychological effects of an attractive head of hair are immense.

We have a head of hair for a variety of reasons, just as eyelashes keep dirt and grit out of our eyes and eyebrows also prevent perspiration entering the eyes, so to a head of hair protects the scalp from the sun, prevents direct knocks on the head and helps to retain body heat. About half of our body heat is lost through the scalp and wearing a hat can help this loss dramatically, particularly in very cold spells. So a full head of hair on our head is not just for vanity but is extremely useful to our bodies.

Hair and Fashion

Hair is a fashion statement, it's color and adornment can say all sorts of things about a person be it their mood, attitude or outlook. Hair styles and cuts can also express a great deal about someone. Baldness prevents such a statement being emphasized by the individual concerned. Everyone likes being pampered and the visit to your local hairdresser can be a moral booster and improve one's self confidence. Most hairdressers nowadays are sympathetic about hair loss. If your one is not, change immediately, they should give encouraging advice and not criticism. Besides which, a good hairdresser helps you catch up on all the latest gossip. !!

Hair Loss and Health

The condition of hair is usually a very good indication of the general state of your health. Some doctors can tell a great deal about someone just by a quick look at the hair. Hair analysis has for a long time been big business in America where you can send a sample of hair to a laboratory to be examined for the lack of minerals and protein. You will then be given a detailed report telling you which vitamins you are deficient in. This service of course makes the companies vast amounts of money, but in reality your doctor could tell you the same thing by a quick examination. Now there are a few clinics in this country which have started the same service. It costs around seventy pounds to have the hair analyzed to ascertain how the body is operating internally, the vitamin and mineral levels, bowel toxicity and general dietary efficiency. How much this will tell you about stopping your hair loss is open to question, and is probably not worth the paper it is written on. Hair analysis is very open to debate as often a similar sample of hair can get totally different results depending on who is carrying out the tests. These clinics then usually want to sell you the vitamins or minerals that you are apparently deficient off. Be very wary of the usefulness of this type of analysis as it is only going to cost you money and will not really tell you anything.

Part of he Norwood scale for determining stages of hair loss

Hair and Style

Most men, when they first notice hair loss on the crown of the head, try to disguise the fact by sweeping their hair across their scalp to cover the bald patch, everyone has heard the expression about having a "Bobby Charlton" style. This gives them a slight covering on their crown, but the problem this causes when the wind blows revealing a bald head underneath can be extremely humiliating. There are much better ways to have the hair styled.

When men lose their hair they always retain a band of hair round the back and sides of their head, this is known as the "monks fringe". This is so called from the days of the early Christian order of monks when they all had their heads shaved in that style to make every monk appear less sexual so even in these ancient times, hair was regarded as a sexual object.

Once there was only one course of action to disguise baldness, wear a wig and stick it over the bald patch. Now there are a number of choices, all claiming to give a full head of natural or natural looking hair. The success of these can be extremely varied from the spectacular to the downright pathetic.

There are transplants, fiber implants, hair weaves, hair bonding, hair thickening sprays and rub on lotions and potions to promote hair growth, some which work well, others not so, and many not at all.

Hair thickening sprays can be used, giving very good results but eventually there is not enough hair to hold it and ultimately the spray is applied directly to the scalp. This effect looks pitiful but it appears to give some people a touch of reassurance that at least they are doing something about the problem.

One of the most humiliating experiences a man can suffer is when his friends or so called friends begin to make fun of his unfortunate circumstances. Many men can put up with leg pulling but eventually the joke wears a bit thin. Someone can only put up with being called "baldy", "slaphead" or "chrome dome" for so long. Sooner, rather than later this type of ridicule will get anyone down. Baldness can be funny but only to other people. Always consider before commenting on hair loss. If everyone tried to consider other peoples feelings before they make such comments, society would be less critical about hair loss in general. Everyone is probably guilty about commenting on peoples hair. Meeting someone you haven't seen for a while, the comment is normally "your looking a bit thin on top nowadays" or "I see you have a touch of gray appearing". If we could all try to think before coming out with such remarks we could all help make the world that little bit better.

Most men would love to shop around and find out what the various treatments could do for them and what they would cost, unfortunately the vast majority of men are too shy or embarrassed to do anything about it and most of the Consultants can be very intimidating and are very well trained in high pressure sales tactics.

There is Hope

There is hope however, and hair loss can certainly be slowed down and in some cases even halted. There is no instant cure though. Anyone suffering hair loss must be patient. The regrowth period for hair is about two years with a three month resting phase. Hair grows at the rate of about half an inch a month so it takes about a year for six inches to grow and that can seem like a very long time if you are waiting for a head of hair to appear.

However most of us are, understandably, in too much of a hurry these days and unfortunately anyone with advancing hair loss is even in more so. Such people can be the targets for unscrupulous clinics and hairdressers who make outrageous claims offering all manners of cures to the problem. These offers nearly always cost financially and even more so emotionally, when the advertised claims are not achieved.