The psychological effects of baldness

Youth and vigour are two extremely important factors determining one's self image. Lets' face it, our physical appearance plays an important part in our self-confidence, and without a full head of hair its natural too feel aged and unappealing.

Many psychological studies have been conducted to ascertain not only the individual's sense of self esteem and image, but also others people's perception of us. We seldom see balding people on the TV, nor are there an abundance of successful bald politicians (just ask ex-Tory party leader William Hague in the UK how tough it is!). The rotten truth is, people find a full head of hair more attractive. Women might think Sean Connery or Yul Brynner are sexy, but most of us sense that a thick mane of 'latino' hair is far more appealing to them. Likewise, for a woman to lose her beauty through thinning hair is an awful prospect to deal with and most find they have to resort to wigs or hairpieces.

Low self-esteem, diminished confidence, despondency at ageing and perceived ridicule are some common feelings resulting from male pattern baldness. Making the correct choices in minimising the effects is important. Sometimes we make the situation worse by resorting to ridiculous attempts to cover up something that we have no control over.

However, more than 30% of men will experience male pattern baldness prior to retirement age, and we can comfort ourselves in the fact that we all face a similar challenge. We recognise how important it is to feel comfortable with your image in the mirror every morning. Information on this site, and the products we recommend, can help you come to terms with this natural process and find solutions to improve your self-image.

Although we cannot reverse this (usually hereditary) process, we can watch out for early signs and consciously remain positive that we remain, essentially, the same people. There are a variety of products and treatments that do produce noticeable results. A good hairstyle, for a start, can minimize the unsightliness of bald patches, blonde hair shows less contrast, and scalp colourants or hair thickeners are often effective. Shaven heads are also increasingly popular in this modern age.

But be sure to make level-headed choices. Hair transplants are expensive and a half-finished job looks even worse. Bald patches often outgrow hairpieces, and some treatments exasperate the situation in certain individuals. Orally-taken medications can often play havoc with your hormonal system.

Ultimately, it's important not to let society's obsession with image ruin your confidence, especially if you are dealing with male pattern baldness at a very young age. As we grown older and wiser, others around also begin to also go bald and we eventually realize how superficial this syndrome is.