Head Games: Being Bald Is Not a Handicap

Keeping all of your hair is more of a rarity than actually losing it! Men who do not experience male-pattern baldness are the minority in our society. According to a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, about 80% of all men under the age of 70 are affected by male-pattern baldness. A report prepared by the American Hair Loss Association (AHLA) reports that about two-thirds of all men by the age of 35 incur appreciable hair loss. And by the time most men reach age the age of 50, about 85% of them have significantly thinning hair. One out of four men who have male-pattern baldness begin losing their hair before reaching the age of 21. So, if you are losing your hair, you are definitely not alone. Hair Loss and Personality According to both of those studies, male-pattern baldness causes men to be unhappy and to lack self-confidence. This is an outlook that could significantly impact men in both personal and professional affairs. It is a mindset that could lead to an individual living a very unsatisfying life. It also is a state of mind that is changeable. Societal Pressure It is difficult for any of us not to be pressured into feeling some sort of insecurity about our personal appearance. Too fat! Too short! Too tall! Too thin! Too whatever! We see these images of perfection everywhere we turn coming at us from the media. Everyone is perfect … except for me! It is pretty hard not to be affected by it all. Even worse, now you are expected to go out and buy something that will solve it all. Take Action There are some men who are not concerned at all about hair loss. For example, Kevin O’Leary, the investor on the TV show, Shark Tank, is mostly bald but keeps the hair he has on the sides trimmed neatly. There also are treatments out there for hair loss if that is route you want to go. There are two FDA-approved drugs that are known to counter hair loss as well as surgical procedures and even wigs. The inventor of the CR1000, a 2-in-1 head and face razor, Chris Coviello, is bald. Our boss shaves his head religiously. He personally experienced losing his hair since his entire adult life. But when he talks about it, he prefaces, that there was nothing wrong with him. His hair was thinning, so he shaved his entire head to deal with the situation. (His pursuit of the perfect-shaving experience is why we are here. But that is a post for another day.) Being Bald Is Not a Handicap Nearly all of us are “too whatever” something. So, while all of us are not bald or losing our hair, there is hardly a soul out there who isn’t insecure about something. So, regardless of what you do, please do whatever you must not to view being bald or experiencing hair loss as a handicap or an obstacle in your life. After all, there are no special license plates that allow bald folks to park in the spaces for the handicapped.