The Psychological Aspects of Balding

[Guest guest]

You have permission to publish this article electronically

or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are

included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be

appreciated - send to dmotel@....

Title: The Psychological Aspects of Balding

Word Count: 743

Author: M. Bernstein M.D.

Email: dmotel@...

Article URL:

http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=7907

The article is preformatted to 60CPL.

The Psychological Aspects of Balding

Copyright 2006 M. Bernstein M.D.

Hair loss is a problem for millions of men and women, both

young and old. It can decrease self-esteem and confidence,

and limit the ability to enjoy life to the fullest. Balding

affects people in different ways, but certain emotional

reactions seem to be shared by many.

Hair Loss and the Mating Game

The most common concern that people have when they begin to

lose their hair is that they will be less attractive to the

opposite sex. The interesting thing is that this is often

only the view of the person that is balding and not that

person’s partner. The spouse, or friend of those

experiencing hair loss, commonly state that the only thing

that bothers them is that it makes their partner depressed.

The balding does not bother them per se.

It is interesting that women sometimes express that they

want their spouses to look good for the wedding pictures,

but once married, they become far less concerned. In fact,

when a married man suddenly becomes interested in having a

hair transplant, we have seen the spouse become suspicious

of extra-marital interests and object to the procedure.

Balding on the Job

Another concern is that the person with hair loss feels he

or she looks older than they actually are and will not be

as competitive in the work force. Unfortunately, studies

have shown that this is a real concern. When employers are

screening job applicants, all other things being equal,

those with hair are viewed more favorably than those who

are bald.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

People experiencing hair loss complain that the way they

look does not fit with their own image of themselves. This

occurs when someone begins to lose hair early i.e., in

their late teens or twenties, but it is as much a problem

when someone has had a full-head of hair for years (and is

used to receiving compliments about their hair) and then

their hair thins unexpectedly in middle age.

Hair loss is a universal marker for aging, with ones locks

gradually diminishing over time. Your body slowly changes

as well, with more sagging and wrinkles and ones muscle

mass decreasing. However, hair loss hair can also occur

suddenly at a young age, making you appear much older than

you actually are.

Another aspect of balding is that people feel a loss of

control. Hair is one of the few body parts that you can

actually manipulate yourself. You can grow hair long, cut

if off, you can wave it, dye it, or pull it back in a

pony-tail. It serves as a form of self-expression. As

people start to lose this form of self-expression, they can

become depressed and withdrawn. But not everyone responds

this way. People react very differently to their hair loss,

with some considering it only a minor nuisance and others

finding it so debilitating that they won’t be seen in

public without their head covered.

So Did You Hear the One About...

One of the things that makes going bald difficult is that,

for some reason, people feel that commenting or joking

about hair loss is “fair game” when they wouldn’t dare

mention that someone had bad skin, or had a limp. I often

point out to patients, that just because people chose to

comment about thinning hair, doesn’t mean they are judging

that person or really care much about it. It just seems to

be a socially acceptable thing to mention.

He Thinks, She Thinks

Women seem to believe that female hair loss is less

acceptable than hair loss in men. While this may be true,

the vast majority of women have hair loss in a pattern that

can be easily camouflaged. Women are often reassured when

they realize that about 40% of women experience hair loss

over their lifetime, but it is to such a small degree that

it is rarely recognized by the opposite sex.

Mane Options

The important things to remember are that hair loss is very

common, it is much more acceptable as one ages, and it is

generally less important to other people than the person

experiencing hair loss thinks. That said, it is not

unreasonable to be upset about going bald. Fortunately, for

those who are bothered by their hair loss, there are now

excellent medications to prevent hair loss and excellent

surgical treatments to restore hair once it is gone.

About the Author:

Dr. Bernstein is Associate Clinical Professor of

Dermatology at Columbia University, College of Physicians

and Surgeons in New York and is the Director of Bernstein

Medical – Center for Hair Restoration in Manhattan.

http://www.BernsteinMedical.com