About Hair Loss
Part One
(click
here for part two)
Hair plays a significant
role in our life. Another person's 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
disorder, especially when severe, often profoundly affects the
lives of those afflicted. Severe hair loss evokes not only cosmetic
concerns but may also evoke feelings of vulnerability (nakedness),
loss of self-esteem, alterations in self-image, and, perhaps,
even self-identity.
About
Viviscal (Click)
In 1992, researchers
at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, surveyed 145
men, and found that 84 percent of the balding men were preoccupied
with their loss. They described themselves as filled with self-consciousness,
helplessness, and envy of men with full heads of hair. Single
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 hair styles, working out more, and dressing better.
Survey result is shown in the following chart.
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Viviscal (Click)
How deep does a bald
man's anxiety runs?
| 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.
About
Viviscal (Click)
Motivation to avoid
baldness is not confined to this century. In 1150 BC Egyptian
men smear their pates with fats from ibex, lions, crocodiles,
serpents, geese, and hippopotamuses. In modern society, this aversion
is readily evident from the many available remedies such as creams,
hormones, vitamins, hairpieces, 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 regrowth, none
of them has any medical benefit, of course.
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Viviscal (Click)
(click
here for part two - hair loss)
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