Archive for the ‘Psychology’ Category

To Hair or Not to Hair

Thursday, October 18th, 2007

All drugs, ranging from simple aspirin to Propecia, have potential side-effects.  The key to finding the right medication for you is as simple as understanding your odds of winning against losing.  For example, let us weight the costs and benefits of Ropinirole, which is a treatment for restless-leg syndrome; this drug often creates massive sleep attacks in people, making daily activities like driving very dangerous.  Personally, I would rather deal with restless-leg syndrome than know that every time I ventured behind the wheel, I could instantly fall asleep and kill myself and others in a car accident.

On the other end of the risk spectrum is Propecia.  First licensed in 1997 by Merck & Co., Propecia is an effective hair-loss preventative medication that has side effects.  In analyzing the questions, to hair or not to hair, it is important to also weigh the cost-benefit analysis of Propecia.

Side Effects of Propecia    

Propecia has warnings of side effects, although the chance of these side effects is less than 2% in all the below cases.  In fact, the incidence chance falls to less than .03% if you use Propecia for more than five years:

  • Rashes or allergic reactions
  • Breast enlargement
  • Painful testicles 

If you are a gambler, 2% and .03% in five years are pretty good odds.  If you are over fifty, losing your hair, one divorce under your belt, trying to build your life, and once again on the dating scene, the odds - and Propecia - begin to look even better.

Gain your confidence with Propecia  

Although it is a sad commentary on our society, the importance of hair can impact both social and professional success.  According to dozens of commercials flashed over the TV screen, a middle-aged man who is going gray and balding is not likely to get either that promotion or the babe on the elevator. A grey, balding, middle-aged man is simply dead in the water.

You can fight this mind-set and lose your mind in the process, or you can go to your doctor, get a prescription for Propecia, and start living again. If you are an average male, you will see Propecia’s results in 90 days.  That is better odds than you will get at the casino!  At the end of a year, after taking one Propecia a day, you could have a full head of hair again.  Whether you enjoy life to the fullest is up to you, but at least people {read: women} will not see you as a fish out of water. 

The restless-leg syndrome drug was recently approved for use; Propecia has been on the market for 10 years.  Which one would you rather put your money on?  Although restless-leg syndrome may keep you up at night, hair loss keeps you out of the race, especially if you are a young man (and male pattern hair loss begins to exhibit itself as early as 17). 

Propecia: easy on the wallet, great on the hair

Propecia is affordable and can be budgeted into anyone’s finances. Pack a bag lunch on Mondays and Wednesdays, and wash your car with a hose on weekends: that is how little Propecia costs. Compared to Minoxidil, Propecia is half the price with twice the benefit, and you do not have to apply it or wipe up the mess. Compared to hair restoration, Propecia’s cost is like buying a motorcycle instead of a Ferrari! 

If you are the one of 35 million men experiencing thinning hair, you should consider trying Propecia. As one satisfied user noted, Propecia is a lot safer than birth control, and equally as reliable.  FDA-approved, readily available at any pharmacy, and inexpensive, Propecia provides the kind of hair restoration you cannot get with herbal remedies, creams and lotions, or even expensive weaves, and - unlike similar medications under other names - Propecia has passed the test of time. After all, you really do deserve the best, and this time, you can afford it!

Hair Loss and You: Being Bald isn’t Unprofessional

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Hair Loss and You: Being Bald isn’t Unprofessional

If you were to travel back in time about 25 years you would encounter a very different world: big hair was in (as were shoulder pads in suits unfortunately), hair loss was still rather perplexing and frustrating, and the Terminator was still years away from release (irrelevant, but still interesting).  There were also many differences then when compared to today.

Relating specifically to hair loss, the primary differences were:

  • Being completely bald was unprofessional – Many people associated someone with a completely bald head to be part of a white supremacist gang or hate group.  Obviously, this was a very negative stereotype that anyone in the business world would probably want to avoid.

  • Hair loss treatments were very ineffective – At that time most hair loss treatments did not have a proven history of success, and hence from the consumer’s point of view they were very sketchy.  The effectiveness of new hair loss products had not yet been proven.  In fact, it would be nearly 10 years before hair loss treatments would reach a sustainable level of acceptance in modern society.

  • Hair loss was much more frustrating – Since consumers had fewer options regarding their hair loss it was a much more frustrating experience.  When hair loss was noticed it was much more frustrating simply because men had fewer options to effectively deal with it.

    In essence, it was a comb over or a wig.

Thankfully, there are many more options available to the men of today.  Hair loss treatments that actually work do exist, and failing that, going bald isn’t such a bad thing.  There has been a huge change in the attitude of modern society regarding men and baldness.  Many people actually prefer men who “lose their hair gracefully by shaving their head”, and I can even recall a university professor of mine (who was completely bald) talking about the societal changes that have taken place regarding hair and prestige.

If you find yourself losing your hair today you have a few options:

  • Shave it off – Being bald isn’t a negative thing anymore.  In fact, a lot of men look better bald than they did with hair!  Rather than cling to the last few hairs on your head, why not simply shave it off and be free of the constraints associated with hair loss?

  • Treat it – Rogaine and Propecia have both emerged as the resident hair loss treatments, and both have great success rates.  Before you consider a dramatic change in hairstyles perhaps you should try using one of these treatments and see if they work for you.

Is being bald unprofessional?  No, not at all.  It is actually more unprofessional to have an awkward hair style as the result of hair loss.  Ironic, don’t you think?

Are There Psychological Changes Associated with Hair Loss?

Thursday, October 11th, 2007

This is a very touchy subject for a lot of guys and it’s something that I’ve tried my hardest to approach in a way that is universally relatable for men, regardless of their background or their situation.  This question, however, is one that can’t just be “answered” and then shoved off.  No, the psychology behind the effects of hair loss is something that is uniquely complex and different for each person that experiences it.

Like all things, observation and scientific study has shown certain trends that were able to be identified and quantified.  In particular, the most common psychological effects of hair loss (regardless of the cause, be it permanent or temporary) are: 

  1. Lowered perception of self-importance – Many men associate hair with youth and strength.  Some men experience little to no change in their hair at all, with their color remaining intact and their hair loss neither accelerating nor slowing down.  Others experience a rapid increase in hair loss as they age, promoting the notion that hair is tied with youth.

    Of course, nearly 60% of men will experience some kind of serious hair loss, so it is actually quite odd that such a negative stereotype (relating hair to youth) exists when the fact that so many men experience hair loss is considered.  In reality, hair loss is simply a fact of life that many men will need to learn to accept.

  2. Lowered perception of capability – Having low self-esteem (and low self-worth as a result) will significantly reduce someone’s capabilities to work, play, and enjoy their life.  Many men find that they become noticeably more depressed after they start to lose hair, and those that were able to recover their hair (either through the cessation of medication/illnesses or through use of a hair recovery products like “Propecia”) almost always seem to be happier and more secure with themselves.

    However, in the interim it is not uncommon for a man to feel as if they are not capable of accomplishing things that they could take on.  Sometimes this affects big decisions, such as the decision to pursue a new career or business venture, and other times it’s much smaller than that (a family photograph, for example).

  3. Dramatic increase in their sensitivity about their physical appearance – Many men that lose a substantial amount of hair become insecure and self-conscious, especially about their physical appearance.  This is often shown by men not wanting to leave the home unless they have to or by men who avoid their friends and family at all cost.

Hair loss is a touchy subject because hair is something that is very universal: all men and women have it, and it can completely redefine the way someone looks.  However, it’s even more important that the men affected by hair loss understand that it doesn’t change who they are, but rather one element of how they look.