Hair loss can creep up gradually or strike unexpectedly and is the source of much lost confidence for many men. Most men (although they probably won’t admit it) give a lot of time to the look, health and style of their hair and so the loss of one of their main assets may cause them to lose faith in their appearance.
However, before your start tearing out what hair you have left you may want to consider a number of options, to help you enhance or embrace your natural hair growth
Let the fight against male pattern baldness begin!
Male pattern baldness affects the vast majority of men, usually with the onset starting in the late 20s to early 30s. Pattern baldness is a hereditary condition and involves the sex and hair growth hormone DHT interfering with the body’s natural production of hair. When pattern baldness occurs the hair follicles, usually along the hairline and on top of the crown, start to produce finer and finer hairs, until they stop all together. What hair is left around these areas then sheds, leaving a large bald spot.
What to do about male pattern baldness
Thankfully you have a number of options in your fight against pattern baldness, which includes:
Medication
FDA approved hair growth drugs, finasteride and minoxidil have been found to not only prevent hair loss, but actually enhance hair growth for a fuller head of hair. However, there are numerous side-effects, including erectile dysfunction and diabetes, which both sound a lot worse that hair loss.
Wigs
Wigs were once the source of much amusement, mainly due to their obvious wiggy appearance and their tendency to blow away during windy days. However, today wigs are both more natural looking and secure, to help hair loss suffers regain their mane. Many wigs also come with the option of suction cups, which hold the hairpiece in place and prevent it from flying off. Some of the suction wigs are so secure you can go swimming in them, a true test of the legitimacy of your barnet!
Hair transplants have been around since the 1930s, however they have greatly advanced since then and today are widely available to treat the many forms of hair loss. Some forms of treatment transplant a strip of hair, whereas others replace the missing hair, follicle by follicle. Once the hair has been implanted it will grow by itself, just as your own natural hair would. The downside to the hair transplant option is the price, with treatments ranging from £3,000 to a staggering £30,000 depending on the expertise of your practitioner and the severity of your hair loss.
Embrace the Bald
I have two words for you. Jason Statham. NO ONE laughs at Jason Statham for being bald and in a way he wouldn’t appear anywhere near as ‘ard if he had a full head of hair. Where a full head of hair carries connotations of youth and fun, baldness carries connotations of virility and manliness, so baldness in many cases separates the boys from the men. That being said a short haircut rather than a number 1 can enhance your appearance while also disguising the extent of your hair loss if you didn’t want the Statham look.
However, in no uncertain terms attempt to grow long hair, especially for comb-over purposes. I have two words for you. Donald Trump.
Guest post by: Becky Mackay
Becky Mackay is a health and lifestyle writer who is completely and utterly biased in the writing of this article due to her love of stubble headed men.
