Well, I'm losing my hair at 26 years old . . .

Hey, no worries, we can hang out together. I'm female, also 26, and I'm going gray. In the past year I've gone from zero gray hairs to... well, quite a few. No, I'm not visibly graying yet unless you look close, but my mother started dying her hair at around age 30. My grandmother was also gray by age 30.

My solution: I don't plan on doing the dying thing. And I'm not going to get a little old lady perm. I'm going to grow my gray hair out long and wear it in a pony tail or braids. So there!

Women love bald men! Must be all that testoserone. ;-)

Still, I sympathize with you about the cold. Are you really in Iceland? Brrrrrrrrrr.

Patrick Stewart went bald young, and he's pretty damn cool.

Use it to your advantage - tell jokes. Harry Hill said he first noticed he was going bald when he noticed it was taking longer to wash his face in the mornings.

I feel you there man. I had to shave my head for the military, and I just don't look right bald. If I get the first sign of losing hair, I'd be the first in line to have my ass shaved and placed on my head; if that hasn't happened already.

efreysson said:

Well yeah, but he's Patrick Stewart. And Patrick Stewart would look cool in a ballerina outfit.

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Damn! You've gone and raised my expectations!

*waiting for Patrick Stewart in a ballerina outfit*

Oh, hair where hast thou gone? I know exactly how you feel! My hair started thinning in my mid-thirties - right on top, but I was able to conceal the "spot" for years by combing over it. Finally, at age 53, I went to a place that made wigs, except they called them applicances, or some such term. They took measurements and a month later, I went in for my new hairpiece. It was expensive - around 1500.00, but I loved it so much, when it started looking bad (and they do age) I ordered another one. It was human hair and exactly the color of my natural hair - or what I had left. Eventually, I moved out of state, and ordered my third wig. I received it in the mail. It was jet black (my hair was light brown and gray.) Being too stubborn to return it, I went to a wig specialist who styled it (I looked like an old Elvis) and eventually had it dyed. It never looked natural so I retired it and now wear ball caps. I hate being bald and I'm now seventy. I've tried minoxodyl, vitamins, laser rays - everything but scalp surgery and transplants. It is vanity. People with full heads of hair tell you it's fine to be bald - they lie. Some women claim bald men look sexy - they lie. Men that shave their heads look like maggots. Wigs look okay, but they are expensive and hot as hell. Hair transplants are probably the answer for the especially vain- or a variety of ball caps.

It is not the baldness that should worry a male but the shape of his head when he is bald.

My husband went bald in his twenties- I never knew him with hair. He is without a doubt the sexiest man I have ever met. Bald is soooo cool.

Where's III?

efreysson said:

The hairline has been moving steadily backwards for several months now, and I can't help but feel like the pace has quickened. I can't deny it anymore, especially not when I see my reflection from above: I'm going bald.

Now, I'm not going into a big existential crisis about it, agonizing about how I'm no longer manly, or getting old before my time, or desperately looking for some quack miracle cure, but I am still pretty damn bummed out. Call it vanity if you wish, but I LIKE having hair. I like being able to run my fingers through it. I like not being cold on my head in winter. I like the way it looks.
And now it's just a matter of time before I have to shave it down so as not to look ridiculous. Joy.

Well, I just wanted to get this off my chest, really. To make a proper thread out of this, how about some other AW-ers share stories, advice or opinions?

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Well, I can't change how you feel about it, because when something is out of our control it can be tough.

Let's see... what's wrong with me... hmmm... the list is very long so I'll have to get back to you. Oh, yeah, I've put on weight. I quit smoking but I put on weight. I'm in the process of taking it off, but I did put it on. It's gross.

If it's any consolation, I'm VERY attracted to bald men, but it depends on the bald man. One who does the come over, not so attractive. One who just shaves his head or has stubble going around the head, VERY sexy. I guess me admitting I'm fat and find bald men attractive isn't much consolation. LOL!

I'll go now. Maybe someone will come by and make you feel better.

It's not 'bald'. It's a solar panel for a sex machine.

My nephew is losing his hair and he is 29. It doesn't matter 'cause he is still a good-looking guy. And he's a really nice guy, too.

My husband has been losing his hair year by year. He usually wears a baseball cap to cover up his bald spot. He also likes to grow a beard to make up for the loss of hair on his head which he can't do anything about.

TrainofThought said:

If it's any consolation, I'm VERY attracted to bald men, but it depends on the bald man. One who just shaves his head or has stubble going around the head, VERY sexy.

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You mean like Jason Statham?

Could be worse. Could be your head.

Besides, there are a stack of studies out there that link loss of hair to high levels of virility.

rhymegirl said:

You mean like Jason Statham?

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You sure know me.

It is fine to mourn it. I prolly would. If I were a guy I mean. Or, I suppose I would as a gal too. Mmmmm, yeah, it would devestate me. I gotta tell you though - for someone else had a thread about chest hair (what is too much and such). Confidence is the bomb. Hair, no hair chest or head. If a dude has confidence (do not read arrogance here) a chick will find him sexy. So, feel bad in private when the mood strikes - but walk with pride when the ladies can see you. For, they will be attracted to you for liking of yourself.

I've been going grey since my twenties and I'm damn well gonna keep dyeing it until my face catches up!

Do you know John Robertson, the CNN anchor who used to be with CBS? Plugs.

His first gig was as a VJ for Much Music (Canadian MTV) in Toronto. His hairline started creeping upward, and then, bang! It was back to normal. Plugs, baby.

Relax and listen to Rush.

I found a white hair at 28. I was so distressed I called my mother. No other woman in my family started to turn gray before 40 something. My mother had a blast telling me how SHE had none at 50 something.

When she came to stay with me for a while, imagine how delighted I was to find tons of strands in her own hair. I gleefully reported them to her while sporting my perfectly blck-dyed hair.

Neener.

And bald men are hot, hun. It's fun to rub the noggin.

Williebee said:

Besides, there are a stack of studies out there that link loss of hair to high levels of virility.

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Kinda sorta. One of the byproducts of metabolizing testosterone (DHT?) can bind to the hair follicles. At some point, the follicles get choked and start dying. What that point is depends on how much of that chemical there is, and the strength of the follicles.

So, it might be a lot of testosterone, or it might be weak hair follicles, or it might be both.

There are a couple of drugs that do a really good job of clearing out the DHT. Most people are familiar with finasteride (generic Propecia), but dutasteride seems to be even better, although, and this is important, it has not been approved by the FDA for hair loss, though many doctors will write a prescription for them anyway. (It has been approved for prostate treatments.) Both of these should help with hair loss. If the follicles haven't been too badly damaged yet, some of the hair might even grow back.

You would expect these to also reduce body hair (both color and amount), and for some people they have affects on libido. So, you know, keep those in mind. If you buy generic from an overseas pharmacy, you are probably looking at $40/month, if you buy stateside you will pay a *lot* more.

I've seen some amazing results. I've also seen very little change. YMMV. One thing to keep in mind is that once the follicles are dead, they are dead. At that point, all you can do is transplant, if you still have enough follicles elsewhere. So if you really really really care about your hair, don't wait too long. And if you don't, then *own* being bald, cause that's what makes it work.

I read your message and registered just so I could reply. I started losing my hair at 17 (about 20 years ago) and at first it can be strangely traumatic. You don't feel like you should be worrying about it (worrying isn't macho), but...you still do. I tried Rogaine (lots of money for not much hair) and considered implants but not very seriously. Finally one day I decided that if I didn't think about it so much and just let things happen that I might be OK. Strangely enough, this seemed to work for me. If you can just learn to accept that you are bald or going bald then it doesn't seem as important for some reason. Now that I haven't had a full head of hair for 20 years or so, I don't mind it at all. I've had many people who knew me when I was younger tell me that I look better without it. In a weird way, it has made me a much more confident person because I see myself as more than just my appearance. Don't get me wrong...if there was a miracle cure tomorrow I'd prolly give it a shot. I do miss feeling hair on my head occasionally, but I don't miss having to blow dry or get it cut all the time. In the end, I find that the less that I worry about it, the less other people seem to be notice or be concerned. Hope this helps.

PS--Watch out next time you are in the sun. I got a brutal sunburn on my head one time not long after I lost my hair...definitely not fun.