"Ugly is a field without grass, a plant
without leaves, or a head without hair."
Discovery of hair loss is a stressful experience for both sexes, but substantially more distressing for women. Throughout the course of history attitudes towards baldness have been overwhelmingly negative. Living with alopecia can be difficult in a culture that views hair as a sign of youth and good health.
Self-esteem in both men and women can be damaged by thinning
hair, who may feel alone even though they are really not.
Nevertheless,
many doctors failing to accept hair loss as an important medical problem and
ignore the real distress suffered by a significant proportion of those
affected.
It isn’t the purpose of this article to mock, depress or hit
someone's sore spot. This list is intended to give a real fact and
understanding of the scale of the problem. It may be interesting for both hairy
and not much. Depending on your
personality and personal circumstances hair loss anxiety can be
acute.
HAIRFALL:
THE PERSONALITY GRADIENT
1The end of youth: concerns about getting older
Hair
loss causes both men and women to look older. Consequently, for many the advent
of hair loss, (more than with any other physical aspect), dramatically signals
the end of youth, vitality and desirability.
The unconscious association regarding hair loss is:
Loss of hair = Loss of youth = Inevitable aging
Loss of hair = Loss of youth = Inevitable aging
2Inability to style the hair
Many
hair loss sufferers are frustrated at the time and trouble necessary to
camouflage thinning hair and the inability to style their hair as they would
like.
3Dissatisfaction with appearance and body-image
The loss
of the hairline can change a person’s appearance substantially. Hair loss
changes the appearance of the face by shifting the balance of the face to the
forehead, resulting in an aged appearance.
A study revealed
that men who had more profound hair loss were more dissatisfied with their
appearance and were more concerned with their older look than those with
minimal hair loss. This effect cut across all age groups but was more prominent
in the younger individuals.
The research also indicates that women tend to be
more upset than men by their hair loss. 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.
In fact, it has been scientifically proven through
studies that women tend to suffer more emotionally and psychologically than men
on losing hair. The results of these tests showed that women were much more
worried about the way they looked than men. They tend to feel insecure about
their appearance and how the world and the people around them will accept them.
4Low self-esteem
Physical
beauty is one of the cornerstones of self-esteem and it is one of the most
vulnerable. The self-esteem levels and other measures of self-worth drop
significantly when hair loss occurs.
5Loss of personal attractiveness and fear of not looking attractive
to others
Hair
is an important determinant of physical attractiveness and a mean of expressing
individuality. Hair loss affects the individual’s feelings of attractiveness.
For
balding women, it is especially hard to live in a society that places great
value on youthful appearance and attractiveness.
Because
women are famous for spending a lot of time and money grooming, dying, curling,
drying, and styling their hair to make it look its best, when they begin to
lose their hair, it is extremely traumatic. This cosmetic setback is quite
intense when a woman is used to having hair and suddenly finds herself losing
it. They can have a lot of trouble dealing with the reality of hair loss.
6Embarrassment, Loss of confidence, Shyness
Although
full head of hair cannot guarantee instant confidence, studies have shown that
in men who suffer from hair loss, nearly 75% of them feel less confident since
the onset of the hair loss, especially in dealing with the opposite sex.
And
it isn’t just men. Statistics regarding female hair loss are so difficult to
compile mainly because of a tendency on the part of women with hair loss to
camouflage and hide a condition that they feel stigmatized by.
7Social teasing and humiliation
When
hair loss reaches a stage of visible condition it can make the person the
object of teasing or scorn. Studies show, that 60 percent of all bald men are
teased at some point in their lives.
8Feelings of depression and introversion
In
extreme circumstances, some people really take hair loss badly and get highly
distressed about it, up to the point of getting into depression.
Some
people make assumptions that they are losing something about their control of
their life, things they really can't reverse when they start losing their hair.
Most
of the research shows that people with alopecia have higher levels of anxiety
and depression.
9Subconscious emotions of envy and jealousy
Those
suffering from hair loss often experience feeling of jealousy of men with full,
healthy heads of hair, because they desperately covet what non-bald people
have.
10Work-related problems
Hair
loss may affect someone who is in front of the camera or who needs to be in the
public in a very devastating way professionally.
11Negative effects on social life
Hair
plays an important role in our social lives. Upon meeting someone, one of the
first things you notice is their hair. Before a social engagement, it is very
important for us to look good, and a good lock of hair is what completes our
appearance. Those affected by hair loss become aware of how important hair is
in our social lives quickly.
Hair
loss may cause the person to limit social activities. Some people avoid seeing
friends and stop going out except to work.
Surveys have shown that around 40% of women with alopecia have had
marital problems, and around 63% claimed to have career related problems.
12Wearing hats or caps even in warm weather
Many people begin wearing more hats or caps to try
to disguise their thinning hairline.
13Start exercising to improve physique
For
some hair loss may spark self-improvement tactics like starting to work our
more. The improvement in physique gives more confidence, thus making less worry
about hair loss.
14Dress nicer
Dressing
better is a simple and sure way to improve appearance and self-confidence.
Although stressful, balding isn’t the end of the world!
15Grow a beard or a moustache
For
some balding men behavioural coping mechanisms include growing a beard or
moustache. By growing a beard, goatee, or moustache, it will take attention
away from the head and people will focus on the new “accessory”.
16Bald men are rated as more intelligent
In
fact, bald men are perceived as being more intelligent and have an above
average sense of self-worth.
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.
Be
Alert and Take Care of Your Hair
Hair
loss can be a pretty hard thing to deal with emotionally. We humans tend to put
a lot of stock in our hair looking nice and not falling out. But if you take
the right steps for hair loss prevention in any weather, season, or
environment, you may come out okay.
BHAGWAN KHEMANI
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