iAremyhair believes in giving our customers ample information so that they can make wise decisions regarding hair loss treatment.
For this purpose, we will be introducing a series of topics that offer insight and objective viewpoints. Topics range from basics of hair to hair loss causes to treatment options to other related and interesting issues.
To ensure that our readers get the most out of our newsletters, we have condensed information from established publications and online reference materials such that each topic can be easily digested. iAremyhair invites you on this journey and welcomes your comments.
"It's only hair that you are losing - what's the big deal?"
Well, the big deal is that when hair loss becomes excessive to the point when you have to pick up strands of hair from the pillow after a night's sleep, when people around you start noticing a bald patch on your scalp, when you have to wear a hat despite the warm weather and when you are unable to style your hair as you wish because of thinning hair. Trust me, when these happen to you, it becomes a real big deal.
Hair loss causes both men and women to feel less attractive because it shifts the attention from the face to the forehead, resulting in an aged appearance. Since hair is a way of self expression, affects our self image and how we interact with others, a receding hairline or thinning hair can mean a ruined image and the loss of youth and desirability. It certainly does not help that the media gives the impression that a full head of luxurious hair is the norm and that it ensures a quality life, successful career and blossoming love relationships.
The impact on social life cannot be undermined. Many hair loss sufferers start to shy away from social gatherings due to obvious reasons. Many of them feel less confident especially in dealing with the opposite sex. Studies have also shown that 60% of all bald men are teased at some point in their lives, around 40% of women with hair loss have had marital problems, and around 63% claimed to have career related problems.
While hair loss may not be life threatening, it certainly affects our emotional and psychological health; it can lead to feelings of frustration, anger, anxiety and shame. It plunges one into depression, results in feelings of sexual inadequacy and loss of self confidence. In extreme cases, the level of anxiety becomes so high that it causes people to assume that they are losing control of their lives.
Thus, wanting to do something about hair loss is not just a matter of vanity, the desire to look pleasing is a normal human attitude. After all, who does not want to look youthful? It has been an age old concern since the imperial times and today, with society's emphasis on hair, it is indeed stressful for men and women battling with hair loss issues.
The popular cultural concept of feminity is such that women should have glossy, luxurious and well-kept hair. Just look at the women's magazines. It is no wonder then that hair loss for women is even worse than wrinkles! The significance of hair to women is so great that women suffering from cancer are more emotionally devastated by their chemotherapy-induced hair loss than from their cancer. Why so?
|
A 1992 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology that compared the psychological impact of hair loss on men and women found that women had a more negative body image and were less able to adapt to the loss. http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/hair-loss-effects.shtml |
Because most women spend a lot of time and money grooming, dying, curling, drying, and styling their hair to make it look its best and when they begin to lose their hair, the experience is traumatic. They can have a lot of trouble dealing with the reality of hair loss. |
While discovery of hair loss is substantially more distressing for women, it is also a challenging experience for men. Hair loss represents to men what wrinkles do to women!
Of course they do!
Men often say that they don't care about losing hair but ask any balding man on the street : given a choice, would you want your hair back? Chances are they would want to have it back.
|
For women, since hair loss is generally widespread, with thinning all over the scalp rather than loss in certain areas, they can rearrange their hair to disguise hair loss or resort to extensions for mild hair loss cases. However, it's tougher for men to use these options because hair loss leaves them bald on top with a fringe around the edges leaving very little hair for styling. Bald guys are bad guys? Despite the increasing appearance of celebrities with natural baldness or shaved heads, it still seems a bald man is often portrayed in the media as a villain. A major reason for men to get worried : surveys have shown that women prefer men with hair. Presented with digitally altered photos of the same men with and without hair, most women said that men with hair looked more attractive to them. |
Believe it or not! Cash's 1988 study asked three groups of people - young college students, slightly older Old Dominion staffers and aging faculty members - to look at slides of bald and haired men. They were asked to rate the person in each slide for qualities such as self-assertiveness, social attractiveness, intelligence, life success, personal likability, physical attractiveness and perceived age. Believe it or not, the bald or balding models were perceived more negatively on every dimension except intelligence. http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/hair-loss-effects.shtml |
While discovery of hair loss is substantially more distressing for women, it is also a challenging experience for men. Hair loss represents to men what wrinkles do to women!
Reference Materials
Panagotacos, Peter J, M.D. "Hair Loss Answers". USA : Author's Publishing Cooperative, 2005.
Rassman, William R, M.D. and Bernstein, Robert M, M.D. "Hair Loss & Replacement for Dummies" USA : Wiley Publishing, Inc, 2009.
