4 Reasons You’re Going Bald (And What To Do About It)
Guys, have you ever gotten out of the shower and seen a few too many hairs on the towel after drying your hair? Noticed that your locks aren’t as luscious and voluptuous as they were in your younger days? Today we’re going to be talking about something that affects nearly 2 in 3 men by the age of 35, going bald.
First off, let me say this: It is now the year 2020, and going bald is not nearly as big of a deal as it was 10-20 years ago. Whether it’s the advent of social media or a bald guy revolution, I’m not sure, but what I do know is that there are tons of women out there who love guys rocking the bald look because it’s not about the bald head, it’s about the brain underneath it. However, some men will read this and still feel it is necessary to get hair plugs, or stock up on a 5 year supply of Rogaine at their local CVS after seeing 2 or 3 hairs in their hand after running their hands through it. In this article I’ll be giving the most common reasons men go bald – and what to do about it.
1. Stress
Yes, stress and hair loss can be related. Whether due to increased cortisol levels in the body or by physically pulling the hairs out of your head (sorry for the visual), stress can cause a slew of unwanted effects on the body. There are 3 major types of hair loss caused in large part by stress.
In telogen effluvium (which sounds like something from Harry Potter) high stress levels cause the hair follicles to fall into a resting phase. While it doesn’t happen immediately, in the following months one might see hairs falling out over simple activities such as shampooing or combing hair.
The second is alopecia areata. There are many possible causes for this type of hair loss, including high stress levels. With alopecia areata, the body’s immune system is thought to turn against itself, actually attacking the hair follicles, causing hair loss.
Last but not least, you have trichotillomania, which is the irresistible urge to pull out hair from your head, eyebrows or other areas of your body. Typically this is caused by wanting to escape unwanted thoughts or feelings, such as loneliness, boredom, frustration etc.
For more on anxiety coping mechanisms, please refer to our other article here.
2. Genetics
The first and possibly most obvious reason one might go bald is also the most difficult one to change, it is the genetic code you were designed with.
Whether you have a history of male-pattern baldness on your mother’s side or you father’s side, studies show that your DNA may be the reason you can’t hang on to your hair. You can inherit hair loss traits from your parents, as well as a sensitivity to DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which can cause hair follicles to shrink causing baldness.
3. Diet
If you have no family history of hair loss, and your stress levels aren’t elevated, but you still have thinning hair or a receding hairline, your diet could be the cause.
The jury is still out on a perfect diet to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth, but research up to this point shows that a diet rich in protein, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, iron and selenium can play a role in creating the environment for a healthy head of hair to flourish.
Certain diets can cause vitamin deficiencies as well, preventing the body from producing the natural chemicals needed to promote a healthy head of hair. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, it’s important to supplement with iron. Medical studies show that vegans and vegetarians need to consume around 1.8x the amount of iron a meat eater would, to make up for the lost iron, and avoid iron deficiency and its potential effects on hair growth
For more on this, please refer to this informative Everyday Health article here.
4. Lifestyle
This may surprise you, but staying out all night drinking, smoking and partying may not be the best thing for your body, and could actually cause your hairline to suffer. Research shows that a lack of sleep can contribute to stress, which can cause hair loss through telogen effluvium, and can prevent your body from producing important hormones that promote hair growth. Now I’m not saying you have to live like a Tibetan monk, but getting a good night’s sleep could be beneficial to not only your hair’s health, but your entire body.
It’s also important to keep in mind that a majority of hair loss is genetics and hormone related, so while changing your lifestyle may help relieve stress and create an environment for hair to grow, it alone will not stop your genetic male-pattern baldness.
What To Do About It
In our modern lives, we have been conditioned (no pun intended) by Hollywood and advertisements to believe that a man’s hair represents strength, power, and vigor, or something. We foolishly believe that having a nice head of hair somehow makes us more of a man. Sure, there are women out there who prefer a man with a good head of hair, but if that’s what she is choosing her partners based off of, do you really want her as part of your life?
In today’s culture, we think hair on a man represents masculinity and attractiveness, something most, if not all, of us want to be. However, it’s not just men who feel this way. Going bald is a physical representation of a fear we all have to an extent: aging. There is a lot of (baseless) shame about aging, especially in a culture like ours that overvalues youth.
Today, there are many different avenues of proposed hair retention and hair growth formulas, but none come without their own special concoction of side effects. You have Finasteride, which can cause up to a 5x increase in your chances of suffering from erectile dysfunction, or Minoxidil (Rogaine), which can cause skin irritation and unwanted facial hair growth, and once you stop using either one your hair falls out like no other. Don’t even get me started on the hair plug route.
While you are more than welcome to research these methods for yourself, it is my assertion that if you do notice your hair going by the wayside, take it in stride and let it go out in a blaze of glory. Go to a barber you trust, and let him make the most of what you got. In the meantime you can use the money and time you would have spent on a treatment making your life better, and improving your character as a man.
Unlike women, as men we are not seen as objects of beauty, we are objects of success. Some of the richest and most successful men of all time have been bald, and some of the “sexiest” and most manly men in our culture are bald. Confidence is what matters, sculpting yourself (not your hair) into the man you were meant to be is what matters, to make your dent in this universe is what matters. Going bald does not matter.
