I'm not trying to be insensitive but I feel that when you have an actual serious debilitating disease you are almost put in a different category of people. When you have noticeable hair loss you're still considered like everyone else just not as ideal. You're still expected to try to live life like everyone else but you're at a disadvantage in a way. There's not that much sympathy for you. Feels that way anyway. Possibly it's all in my head.
If you were battling serious cancer or if you were missing your legs no one would expect you to go out and get a girlfriend or be out and about living life to the fullest. I don't know. Sounds lame but I just feel that way sometimes.
08-24-2012 07:09 AM
ThinningB420
That's because those things are serious and physically affect your body's ability to function significantly. Hair loss does not physically prevent your body from functioning. It's a cosmetic issue that affects many psychologically. It is lame for people to feel sorry for themselves because of hair loss. We can all dislike it and try to fix it but we shouldn't let hair loss ruin our lives.
08-24-2012 07:29 AM
BGP
You know, before I experienced MPB, I never even noticed bald people. It's so common it felt like that person who's walking around as NW6 or 7 was simply always like that. Almost like they had just been made that way.
But when it's you and you see the progression...it's an entirely different world.
Also, yes there are much worse diseases than MPB, in fact I can think of things that could be potentially worse than cancer or other terminal illnesses. Ever head of Fatal Familial Insomnia? Google it.
Still, not to belittle those who have it worse off, but MPB is the central battle of my life right now, so I don't really spend too much time caring about what else others have to go through. That being said, if I was diagnosed with some terminal illness tomorrow, my thought pattern would be "I would trade away all my hair forever to survive this terminal illness".
It all depends on where the battle is for you.
08-24-2012 08:40 AM
ThinningB420
BGP, you just summed up the problem well. IMO it shouldn't take something worse to make us realize the significance, or lack thereof, of balding. We need to be levelheaded and rational. Look at the movie Shallow Hal. Jason Alexander's character always found flaws in women. He even stopped dating this hot girl because her second toe was longer than her big toe. Yeah it's a movie but I has a valid point. We overemphasize things that in reality are not as important as we make them out to be. Hair loss is a prime example.
08-24-2012 08:45 AM
PayDay
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThinningB420
BGP, you just summed up the problem well. IMO it shouldn't take something worse to make us realize the significance, or lack thereof, of balding. We need to be levelheaded and rational. Look at the movie Shallow Hal. Jason Alexander's character always found flaws in women. He even stopped dating this hot girl because her second toe was longer than her big toe. Yeah it's a movie but I has a valid point. We overemphasize things that in reality are not as important as we make them out to be. Hair loss is a prime example.
I understand the depression caused by hair loss very well, but being positive and thanking my blessings is what has gotten me through all of this. It’s not easy, but there are far worse things to deal with in life.
08-24-2012 10:32 AM
Person
Yes, hairloss is not physically harmful. But it can be very mentally damaging. Causing depression, anxiety, low self esteem, social anxiety etc. It is quite annoying when people just say "it could be worse, or you could have cancer, or no legs".
08-24-2012 12:36 PM
boourns
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThinningB420
That's because those things are serious and physically affect your body's ability to function significantly. Hair loss does not physically prevent your body from functioning. It's a cosmetic issue that affects many psychologically. It is lame for people to feel sorry for themselves because of hair loss. We can all dislike it and try to fix it but we shouldn't let hair loss ruin our lives.
Ya we shouldn't feel sorry for ourselves and all the other negative feelings but obviously all of us here do. If I didn't give a crap about hair loss I wouldn't be on this forum and I doubt too many other people would either. I guess it's our primitive minds that fear alienation as it might make us the beta or gamma person in our group. Hair loss is like the ultimate crappy thing that can happen to you cosmetically before it crosses the line to tragic. It doesn't get that "don't make fun of him" status like if a dog bit off your nose.
08-24-2012 04:13 PM
NeedHairASAP
Its not me that needs to get over it, it's the people who make bald jokes and look down on bald people... If that wasn't the case I probably wouldn't care
08-24-2012 04:43 PM
PayDay
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeedHairASAP
Its not me that needs to get over it, it's the people who make bald jokes and look down on bald people... If that wasn't the case I probably wouldn't care
If that’s really true, then you should find other people to hang around with and stop letting people’s stupidity bother you. If you're cool looking at your reflection as a balding man, than you’ve won the battle! Get on with your life.
08-24-2012 04:53 PM
dda
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeedHairASAP
Its not me that needs to get over it, it's the people who make bald jokes and look down on bald people... If that wasn't the case I probably wouldn't care
I have been the brunt of the balding joke many times, and have just had to stand there and take it like a loser. I swear this shit happens to the nicest guys. i was never the one to make fun of the nerdy kid, or make fun of the fat kid. Always respectful of my elders, and respectful to my peers. You know? just a quiet regular dude. i had a big gap between my teeth in HS and finally got that corrected at the end of HS. I did not flirt with one girl in HS, not one. Only got with one average girl. I mean in HS, when looks are everything, who would want to date someone with shitty teeth. I thought things were turning around. Boy was I wrong. ONce MPB started advancing for me, i just thought to myself, so this is what happens when you are a good person.
I feel the same way man. I hate how Thinningb420 just thinks that we all should just get over it and that there are far more worse things to go through. Well thats why we are here dumbss, cause this fcking bs genetic disease is/has ruining/destroyed our self confidence and self worth. Hairloss has made be believe that I am a pathetic for starting to bald practically when I was 18/19. This sht had messed with my head so much I don't even know who I am anymore. Some days all I think about is what it would be like to end my life cause I can't bare the thought of being completely bald and having to shave my head. I liked the way I looked for 18 years, so why can't I continue to look like that? Because of some crap disease that we have no control over.
At work, I see groups of guys walking around with full heads of hair, and I become so self conscious that I think when they are looking at me they are thinking wtf happened to this kid? Then when I am on the train and seated, and theres an attractive girl coming on and standing, and she can surely see my thinning hair, I can't even make eye contact for more then a second for fear of seeing the shocked look on her face of how bad my hair looks.
As bad as this sounds, I think sometimes I would have been better off to get cancer, have to go thru chemo, and lose my hair. Then there would actually be a reason to why I lost it and people wouldn't look at me like some depressed balding loser
