Severe Hair Loss And Self Esteem For The Bald

Hair plays a significant role in our life. Another person's scalp hair is one of the first characteristics we notice upon meeting. Our own hair is one of the first and last things we attend to before a meeting or a social engagement. Hair loss disorders, especially when severe, often profoundly affects the lives of those afflicted. Severe hair loss of the scalp evokes not only hair cosmetic concerns but may also evoke feelings of vulnerability (nakedness), loss of self-esteem, alterations in self-image, and, perhaps, even self-identity. Education and severe hair loss help is available.

In 1992, researchers at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, surveyed 145 men, and found that 84 percent of the bald men were preoccupied with their loss. They described themselves as filled with self-esteem issues, helplessness, and envy of men with full heads of hair. Single bald men and woman who had begun losing hair in their early twenties were more likely to suffer from extremely low self-esteem.

While stressful, balding isn't the end of the world. Although the men reported glancing in the mirror constantly and wearing hats even in warm weather, they manage to make it through their daily lives without much problem. For some it even sparked self-improvement tactics like fiddling with new hair styles, working out more, and dressing better. Survey result is

Severe Hair Loss

Reported experience	extent of hair loss
	low	high
Notice bald/balding men	54%	82%
spend time looking in mirror at hair	54%	69%
Look older than actual age	40%	55%
Feel self-conscious	42%	78%
Worry that others will notice	39%	56%
worry about aging	37%	46%
Feel less attractive	31%	51%
Envy good-looking men	33%	34%
Try to improve hair style	63%	66%
Try to improve physique	41%	36%
dress nicer	26%	45%
Wear hats or caps	23%	41%
Seek reassurance about looks	23%	39%
Grow a beard or a mustache	18%	36%

Stereotypes associated with baldness are not flattering. A research back in 1971(2) had been conducted to investigate how one person was perceived by others can be influenced by quantity of scalp hair (regular, balding, and bald) as well as color, length, and quality of scalp hair. Pictures of the same person were presented to 60 judges. Differences in appearances of this person (i.e., experimental conditions of regular, balding, and bald) were manipulated through modifications made by a commercial artist. The results revealed that the person with a regular quantity of hair was rated as most handsome, virile, strong, active, and sharp. The person with a balding head of hair was rated as least potent, weak, dull, and inactive, and the person with a bald head of hair was rated as most unkind, bad, and ugly.

Many other studies also show employment discrimination based on a person's appearance.

Motivation to avoid baldness is not confined to this century. In 1150 BC hair loss help consisted of Egyptian men smearing their scalps with fats from ibex, lions, crocodiles, serpents, geese, and hippopotamuses. In modern society, this aversion is readily evident from the many available remedies suggesting help such as creams, hormones, vitamins, hair pieces, wigs, scalp reduction and hair transplants. A government report in 1983 reveals that over the past 9 years the FDA has overseen the investigation of ingredients in about 300,000 products claimed to help hair re-grow, none of them has any medical benefit, of course!