Self Image and Hair Loss in Men

If you were to ask most women to describe the physical characteristics of their ideal man the adjectives flowing, full and smooth would likely be used regarding this man's hair. There would be a small percentage that would prefer a bald man but they are in the minority. Men on the other hand have not always paid that much attention to their own image. "John Updike once compared the male body to a bank account: as long as it's healthy, a man doesn't think much about it." (Potter) In the past decade, however, there has been more emphasis put on hair loss. In a time when society tells us that we should be happy with who we are this seems to be a glaring contradiction. That fact is why hair loss and restoration has become such a hot topic. This begs the question; is going bald really that big a deal?Types of Hair Loss

While a head devoid of hair is the result the way in which men get there is quiet varied. While there is laundry list of wives tales about what causes hair loss, according to medical sources there are only a few medically explained reasons that men go bald. Androgenic alopecia also known as male pattern baldness is the most common cause for baldness in men. Other types of hair loss are traumatic and drug-induced alopecia. The traumatic is a result of hair being torn out at the root or some other severe injury such as burns. Drug-induced alopecia is most common in cancer patients that undergo chemo therapy. Self Image

Dr. Kate Grossman stated that "self-image is a kind of mental picture we all have about ourselves. One way to think about self-image is in terms of what is 'real' and what is 'ideal.' (Top Tips) This is of course an extremely simplified definition of what self image is. This particular subject goes much deeper than most people think. It has been discovered that even the most confident people have serious issues with self image on some level. It is how these seemingly normal people deal with their self image issues that differentiate them from those that are paralyzed by their perceived inadequacies. For men it is not just the actual hair loss that they fear it is everything that hair loss symbolizes. Countless advertisements as well as the behavior of men around the world demonstrate, hair is a direct representation of strength, power and most importantly virility (Valeo 1). Valeo also stated that "Freudians used to argue that a man's hair symbolized his penis, so losing one's hair amounted to symbolic castration." (1). The bottom line is that balding men feel that they will not be seen as sexually attractive as their brethren that still have hair.

Not being attractive is not the real root of the fear associated with hair loss. Psychotherapist Gershen Kaufman PhD claims that it also involves deep shame, which he defines as the emotional response to feeling inferior (115). The inferiority that is perceived is a direct reflection of what hair symbolizes. In almost every culture in the world you can find a link between hair and a man's strength. The story of Samson and Delilah is probably the most well know. It tells of a man Samson who has near super-human strength as long as he has long flowing locks. His love interest Delilah convinces him to cut his hair and the result is disastrous. Samson is no longer capable of his extreme strength and his taken captive by his enemies. Only after his grows back is he able to regain his strength and exact his revenge against his captors. This story has been mimicked across the globe in many different religions and is one of the sources for the symbolism behind a man's hair.

The idea that man can be bald and proud is not that crazy of a concept. There are many professional athletes and actors that proudly display their bald heads. For some it is a matter of style but for many more it is a result of not being able to grow any hair. Actors like Patrick Stewart, Michael Chicklis and Bruce Willis make no attempt to cover up their hairless scalps. It is possible that these men and many more like them can become the spokesmen for a group of men that can proudly say that they are bald and don't care that they are. Of course, there will always be those men that cannot live life to its fullest because of thinning hair. This percentage of men will continue to keep drug companies and cosmetic surgeons in business for some time to come. Treating Baldness

There are number of ways that baldness in men can be treated. The most common being the use of drugs. According to an article on WebMD there are two main types of medications that can be taken to help with male pattern baldness. The interesting thing about these medications is that their development did not have anything to do with hair loss treatment. Rogaine and Propecia were engineered to treat enlarged prostates and high blood pressure in men respectively (Hair Loss Health). While these medications have seen some impact on hair loss by fostering hair growth they are not the master key to the problem. In many men medications alone will not prevent balding. That is where cosmetic surgeons step up to plate and offer there varied techniques. One hour television can reveal any number of hair restoration specialists in a given city. These specialists essentially offer the same services despite their claims that their system is better than others. Hair transplants, simply put, require getting donor hair follicles from an area of the body still growing hair and moving them to the effected areas. The most common problem with this technique is that the hair does not look natural. The other more extreme option available is known as a scalp rotation. In this procedure a doctor actually moves a piece of a patient's scalp that has good hair growth to an area of poor growth. Unfortunately this often does not look natural. Additionally, the procedure is not as effective with adults as it is with children. The question here is; is it worth the money spent on treatments that have not significant effect on hair loss?

In this day and age when self image experts, talk show hosts, and magazines tell us that just being "you" is okay, why don't people believe it? The simple answer is, that each individual doesn't always agree. Whether passing judgment on someone else or themselves people will never be satisfied with what mother nature has given them.

Works Cited

Grossman, Kate M.d. "Top Tips to Boost Men's Self Confidence." About.Com. 01 Sept. 2006. 01 Nov. 2007 .

"Hair Loss Health Center." WebMD. 10 Aug. 2005. 30 Oct. 2007 .

Kaufman, Gershen PhD. The Psychology of Shame. New York: Springer, 2004. 115.

Potter, Alicia. "MIRROR IMAGE." Infoplease.Com. 05 Sept. 1997. 02 Nov. 2007 .

Valeo, Tom. "Going Bald: It's All in Your Head." WebMD. 01 May 2007. 30 Oct. 2007 .