"It's only hair loss"

[Met76]

When people say things like "It's only hair loss," part of me agrees with them. We are very fortunate if the worst thing in our life is that we have a missing hair, or two, or 20. I sometimes find it humorous that we even care at all about our hair thinning. I mean, hell, we probably didn't even give two craps about our hair when we had a full head of it.

On the other hand, though, what I find sort of puzzling and hypocritical about the "It's only hair loss" types of comments is that many of these same people who are saying things like that have probably spent money or are spending money to correct cosmetic things that aren't life and death either.

For instance, if you have a face full of acne, chances are you are either going to go to a dermatologist or head to your local drug store to get products or drugs to help clear your race. Acne isn't life threatening, but people want to have the problem fixed to feel and look better. But I have never heard people say, "Oh, don't worry - it's only acne."

Then why treat hair loss any different?

I am not sure why people act as if you should just accept losing your hair and move on. If you feel that way and think it's trivial, fine. But why are these same types of people who do spending money on prodcuts to clear up their acne, razor burn, dry skin, etc.?

 

[vogs]

Hairloss is not about hair at all, it's about the image that we have of ourselfs. It's about self worth.

 

[Trent]

i've brought up this very same topic before. for some damn reason, society these days feels that hairloss is something you are supposed to just accept, and live with. you never hear these comments with crooked teeth. no one says, hey, your teeth are crooked, live with it man. you get braces, and it totally acceptable. no one hides their braces, its just kind of accepted in highschool that some people will go through braces. same with acne, like you said. but when it comes to hairloss, treating it isn't nearly as well accepted as the braces, its something that "you just gotta live with." as a result, people (or at least I) have always felt this pressure that it has to be this big secret that i'm treating hairloss. Like i'm trying to hide some drug habit, or drinking problem. Why is this?

the only real reason that i can think of is that male pattern baldness is progressive, and considered by the public as untreatable. therefore, any actions you are taking to treat it, make you seem like your just grabbing at false hopes, and that makes you seem like a really desperate and insecure person to others. (i'm not saying you are, i'm just saying people may perceive you that way). why? because no one really believes the treatments do anything. with braces, its a sure thing, so treatments for crooked teeth are acceptable.
For example, how would you feel about someone who was rubbing leaves on a big nose to make it smaller, because they read somewhere that the oils in the leaves help to shrink it? You would think, wow, that guy really feels bad about his big nose, and how ridiculous is it that he's rubbing leaves on it to make it smaller. now you're looked at as somone who feels they are flawed, and people look at you differently when they know you feel uncomfortable about something. From the inside (aka this forum), where we all know that the treatments do work, we don't think of each other as any "less of a man" because we've done the research, we know we are simply using proven treatments to change the way we look. Propecia is like braces to us. to others, we are just "rubbing leaves on our nose" so to speak. therefore, i think we are doomed to hear the "you just have to live with it" quotes for a while.

 

[ropcat]

Trent - Astoundingly thoughtful and thought-provoking post, man. :yeah:

 

[Petchsky]

That's probably why none of us tell our friends and sometimes keep it from our girlfriends too. Makes you vunerable...upside of this though is most women that like you find vunerability cute. As long as you don't have many of them.

 

[Wezz]

hairloss is important thing


its not just a bruise on your arm, its much more important feature on your body and makes you look different....

 

[Greg1]

Guys, it all boils down to one thing ... PERSPECTIVE! See the forest for the trees! Don't get all caught up in what "others" think that you should do or should look like... be you. If that you is to have hair, then by all means, do everything in your power to help your hair loss. But if you feel good about yourself with your thinning hair, then don't let "others" sell you something that you don't want to begin with.

vogs, couldn't have said it better myself. You've got allot of wisdom running in that simple statement

Trent, you're a man with a very good head on your shoulders and you show yourself to be a thinker. Interesting way to look at the topic.