Signs Of Balding

Facts About The Signs Of Balding

The first signs of balding can be somewhat like the opening act in a Greek tragedy. You do everything you can to stop the hair from falling out, but no matter what you try you know it's going to have a bad ending.

For many men, and quite possibly most men, the most upsetting time is when the first signs of baldness become visible. We then go through a period of anxiety, denial, anger, sadness, and finally, acceptance. While some opt for hair transplants, medications, or in some cases quack remedies in an effort to forestall the inevitable, most of us accept it for what it is, with the thought that if nothing else, we are simply following in our father's footsteps. Once most of our age group has lost most of their hair, we feel like we fit right in, and even make fun of those who still have flowing manes. It's a fact that by middle age, nearly half the men in the United States will have noticeable balding.

What, But Not Why - The exact cause of balding is something that is still not completely understood. We know what is happening, down to the follicle level, but no one knows quite why it's happening. Signs of baldness tend to be somewhat uniform, with hair first beginning to recede at the hairline (on the forehead), and thinning at the top or crown of the head. Eventually the receding hairline joins up with the circular bald spot which often has grown in diameter, with the end result being that our full head of hair eventually becomes a band of hair about as wide as our ears are long. Sometimes baldness stops at that point, but at other times it just keeps going.

Signs of balding other than mentioned above are usually not balding in the sense of being hereditary, but rather balding caused by disease, medication, or radiation therapy. In such cases the hair will often grow back if the disease or disorder is cured, or medication ceases. As far as hereditary balding is concerned, once gone the hair is usually gone for good. The affected follicles have simply stopped producing.

Some resort to medications, either topical or oral, at the first signs of balding. Medications like Rogaine can be quite effective in slowing or stopping hair loss, and on some instances hair may even start to return. The effects are not permanent however unless the affected person stays on the medication. Once medication ceases, hair loss returns, with ever increasing signs of balding.

Cut It, Disguise It, Or Transplant It - At the first signs of baldness it's sometime possible to disguise the balding pattern by a change in hair style, with cutting the hair very short one popular approach. Some men even prefer the bald or nearly bald look to being partially bald, and on some men, though not all, baldness looks good. Other resort to hairpieces, hair weaving, wigs, or resort to combing "helping hair" over a balding crown, which can be effective until the wind starts blowing.

Some men resort to hair transplants before signs of balding become too great. Small plugs of hair are taken from one part of the scalp and transplanted to an area of the scalp where the hair has disappeared or is becoming thin. This can be expensive, and a number of transplanting sessions will often be required. In most cases however, the transplanted hair follicles continue to produce. In other words, the result is permanent.

To Fight Or Not To Fight - Dealing with signs of balding is obviously a very personal thing. Fighting to keep from losing more of one's hair is an honorable thing to do, as is doing nothing but to let nature take its course. The best advice if you decide to do battle, is to do some research first, to avoid spending money on some “miracle” medication that does nothing or only makes matters much worse.