The Shaved Head

[moses0324]

24 years old...

[dgman21]

Well I'm 32 and I'm scared to either do what you did(which doesn't look bad), go for the transplant(I have high expectations and am afraid of the scar), or wait for some time..

[moses0324]

shaving it off is pretty liberating...i dont have to worry about how my hair looks and it is pretty maintenance free..never have to hit the barber or worry about a bad hair day. i say you should try it and if you dont like it, let it grow back out. i should mention that you should probably get some color on the head though...go tanning, etc. it looks a lot better tan.

i vouched to not go the HT route due to scars and further hairloss...it just doesnt make sense for me...ill be chasing hairloss for the next 20 yrs while blowing tens of thousands of dollars in the process...

[Jcm800]

Think you're quite lucky Moses as it quite suits you, think id look like Michael Stipe from REM if i go that route tho, not fkn good lol

[moses0324]

Jcm800, I think we are our own worst critics...You might look great!!!!

[Jcm800]

Jcm800, I think we are our own worst critics...You might look great!!!!

True, I'm not pug ugly I've been told, and have toyed with having a clipper grade four to start off with just to get used to the impending look, you've got a positive outlook, its refreshing.

[jooder]

Well done moses - you look great.
Its good to see this thread has become much more realistic with more people acknowledging that shaved heads can and often do look good.
Also a very well done to fixed by 35. You have said many times that your baldness cost you a promotion in your job. Well your baldness and subsequent participation in this forum has enabled you to feature in the New York Times - you finally made it man

[moses0324]

True, I'm not pug ugly I've been told, and have toyed with having a clipper grade four to start off with just to get used to the impending look, you've got a positive outlook, its refreshing.

thanks jcm800...try cutting your hair progressively shorter...see how it looks!!!

this thread is filled with so much negativity...everyone is pissing and moaning about hairloss...either do something about it or accept it. i have chosen to accept it for now...its all about your outlook on life. if you are miserable people will perceive you as miserable..and ultimately avoid you. its all about confidence!!

[moses0324]

Well done moses - you look great.
Its good to see this thread has become much more realistic with more people acknowledging that shaved heads can and often do look good.
Also a very well done to fixed by 35. You have said many times that your baldness cost you a promotion in your job. Well your baldness and subsequent participation in this forum has enabled you to feature in the New York Times - you finally made it man

thanks jooder...like you said, people always think shaving down to a zero looks bad. not true. granted there will always be the ney sayers but you cant please everyone. thats something everyone should learn in life.

[Weedwacker]

'Dude', if you had read my post carefully, as well as many of my other posts throughout the last months, you would realize that I have no problem with someone being depressed about his hairloss. In fact, in my post I said there was a guy here who said that hairloss was worse than his having testicular cancer. I also said that my Mother was significantly bothered by her hairloss despite having a very deadly form of cancer. I almost died from an auto-immune illness in 2007-08. I weighed 99 pounds(I am about 5'10")and had my large intestine removed. When I came out of surgery, and the anesthesia had worn off, I was in pain that I could not describe to you in words. It felt as though my torso had been cut in half; it was unbearable. Interestingly, that whole ordeal was not as difficult as losing my hair at 17. Despite the blood transfusions and parenteral(IV) nutrition, there was no guarantee I would survive the operation. Fortunately, I had a top-flight surgeon who saved my ass.

The reason I am on this forum is because I AM bothered by my baldness. I accept it; however, I don't like it and I never will. The point I was making is that, in the grand scheme of things, hairloss is much better to have than other things, such as a glioblastoma brain tumor. Hairloss is not deadly, at least not physically so. Hairloss is a category 1 nuisance. The age at which I lost my hair was the primary factor of its ability to affect me.

Just because something is not life threatening doesn't mean it can't affect your life in a negative way. I think there is a difference between a nuisance and a terror. Hairloss is a nuisance in that it can affect your love life, as well as daily interactions. I will provide an example: I live in the Northeast part of the U.S., and right now we have about 1 1/2 feet of snow on the ground. Furthermore, it is about 20 degrees fahrenheit, and if I go outside with my bald head, I freeze my balls off. Actually, I have gotten the beginning stages of a cold because I went out wothout my hat. I take a drug that weakens my immune system, and the last thing I need is to contract pneumonia because of my damn bald head. We just went through a period of weather during which the temperature was 10 degrees during the day and -10 degrees at night. This is a nuisance because we are supposed to have hair to insulate our heads; hence, the genetic error.

[moses0324]

'Dude', if you had read my post carefully, as well as many of my other posts throughout the last months, you would realize that I have no problem with someone being depressed about his hairloss. In fact, in my post I said there was a guy here who said that hairloss was worse than his having testicular cancer. I also said that my Mother was significantly bothered by her hairloss despite having a very deadly form of cancer. I almost died from an auto-immune illness in 2007-08. I weighed 99 pounds(I am about 5'10")and had my large intestine removed. When I came out of surgery, and the anesthesia had worn off, I was in pain that I could not describe to you in words. It felt as though my torso had been cut in half; it was unbearable. Interestingly, that whole ordeal was not as difficult as losing my hair at 17. Despite the blood transfusions and parenteral(IV) nutrition, there was no guarantee I would survive the operation. Fortunately, I had a top-flight surgeon who saved my ass.

The reason I am on this forum is because I AM bothered by my baldness. I accept it; however, I don't like it and I never will. The point I was making is that, in the grand scheme of things, hairloss is much better to have than other things, such as a glioblastoma brain tumor. Hairloss is not deadly, at least not physically so. Hairloss is a category 1 nuisance. The age at which I lost my hair was the primary factor of its ability to affect me.

Just because something is not life threatening doesn't mean it can't affect your life in a negative way. I think there is a difference between a nuisance and a terror. Hairloss is a nuisance in that it can affect your love life, as well as daily interactions. I will provide an example: I live in the Northeast part of the U.S., and right now we have about 1 1/2 feet of snow on the ground. Furthermore, it is about 20 degrees fahrenheit, and if I go outside with my bald head, I freeze my balls off. Actually, I have gotten the beginning stages of a cold because I went out wothout my hat. I take a drug that weakens my immune system, and the last thing I need is to contract pneumonia because of my damn bald head. We just went through a period of weather during which the temperature was 10 degrees during the day and -10 degrees at night. This is a nuisance because we are supposed to have hair to insulate our heads; hence, the genetic error.

your points are well taken...agreed while hairloss is not life threatening, it all comes down to your outlook on life. only "you" can change how "you" feel. to be honest no one else cares...plenty of women like bald men, plenty good looking men with full heads of hair friends hang out with bald men...to profile balding guys as a second class citizen is laughable. everyone has there stories or perceptions but its all made up in your head. i.e. i went to the bar a few weeks ago and i kid you not...all the guys that were picking up girls had shaved heads and a ton of confidence. i bet not one girl cared that they had no hair.

remember life is what you make of it...to be sad and depressed is silly. life is too short. dont let it pass you by. when you grow to be 40 you are gonna look back and say...wow, why did i waste my best younger years doing nothing. more specifically worrying about something that is out of your control...lifes a rollercoaster. have fun with it.

[Dude]

Thanks Weedwacker,

You are right. Your post just made me realize that I myself haven't looked at this in that light. I guess things could be a lot worse. I am stoked to be healthy, to have an great wife and healthy child. I have a great job and a nice home. I still have the same friends and so on. However, my balding skull still effects me. Maybe not as much now. :-)
Again, me with a shaved head is not a good look. Although, I must say it looks good on moses0324.

[moses0324]

Thanks Weedwacker,

You are right. Your post just made me realize that I myself haven't looked at this in that light. I guess things could be a lot worse. I am stoked to be healthy, to have an great wife and healthy child. I have a great job and a nice home. I still have the same friends and so on. However, my balding skull still effects me. Maybe not as much now. :-)
Again, me with a shaved head is not a good look. Although, I must say it looks good on moses0324.

Wait you have a wife, kids, and house!?!?! Dude you are blessed with many gifts in life that many people would kill for!!! Why are you so worried about hairloss?!? It's so trivial..look I'm not trying to convince you of anything. All I'm trying to do is give you the big picture. Have you talked to you wife about it? What does she think? All I'm saying is live life. Don't get caught up in the small stuff.

[andyroberto]

saying the same thing, different intensities

It's good to hear some guys working it out, finding their own space with the issue; I vote for positivity but keep the right to always be pissed off that my hairs gone, and will always, daily, want it back - the second something comes around that is proof positive it works like magic, I do it. Until then, I keep it short (which is as good as it is without delusions) and use the goofball ideas and crap opinions of those who are not like the rest of us to poke fun at the whole mess - that's why I write funny stories about it - laugh or cry, or be satisfied with a reasonably decent fix - I've seen them, really not bad - just not for me.

[Weedwacker]

Irrespective of each individual's situation, baldness will not kill you physically. Unfortunately, it can kill you psychologically. People are affected by it in different ways. I see no shame in being depressed over it, because it can significantly alter your appearance. Your emotions, more than anything, need time to adjust to the 'new' you. It took me a good decade of being bald before I adjusted to the 'new' me. For others, the adjustment comes quicker, or doesn't come at all.

I believe it is important to not take life too seriously because there are many things that are out of our control. Exercising is a great way to 'escape' and focus on something other than hairloss. Another thing you can do is take up a musical instrument or some other hobby. Even video games(which I don't play)can distract you. If all else fails, seeing a physician or a therapist about your depression may be a good idea.