Balding men: are you doing anything about it?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have, and have always had, a high hairline. When I was in high school theater, I could slick back my hair and be “the older guy.” For many years, this high hairline did not change, and I thought I might be following in the footsteps of my mother’s father, who is in his mid-80s and enjoys a somewhat thinned but still head-covering coif of steel gray.

Well, the hairline is on the move. I’m on course for David Letterman Land, and likely continuing on from there to Rob Corddry Ville. In other words, the tide is going out on the right and left, leaving a peninsula in the middle that will almost certainly become an ever-shrinking island.

I don’t think I’m especially vain, so while I may not be exactly happy about getting older, I’m not freaking out about the hair part of it. I mean, I’m not looking into minoxidil or rogaine or whatever those products are; if it gets to the point where I don’t have enough hair to actually “have hair” (if you know what I mean), I’ll go with the crew cut option, possibly selectively landscaped to keep a hair moat over the ears but losing everything else. In other words, I’m planning to be practical about it. (I already have the goatee, which is part of the uniform.)

Unfortunately, while some guys look good with a shiny scalp, I can feel a rather prominent Klingonesque ridge down the middle of my head when I explore the countours of my skull with my fingertips. In other words, I think I’m going to be more Zippy than Michael Chiklis. :wink:

So the bottom line is, I’m a little anxious, which amuses my wife, but I’m not so anxious that I can’t be amused in turn by her amusement. People are funny about stuff, and I think I have enough objectivity to see that I’m no exception.

Anybody else in the same situation? What are you doing? Planning the crewcut, or all the way to the Shiny Shave? Worried about skull shape? Any users of hair-growing products? And while we’re on the subject, will anybody admit to the dreaded combover? I’m just curious about how my response compares to others.

2

I am not doing anything about it—basically have the same approach you do. Mine started really thinning when I turned about 40—but it seems to be hanging in there now—except for the gray hair :slight_smile:

Luckily most people seem to accept hair loss as pretty natural. Look around sometime at the airport for example and it seems to be the dominant approach rather than the comb-over (shudddderrr). But I have a few friends who do that stupid 8-10 hairs in the front really long! Like that covers anything up! In fact when I get my hair cut I have to tell the hairstylist to make sure to cut all that off, I gather this is an issue for some men. I guess they dont’ want to lose those few remnants there in the front or something. Not as bad as a comb-over, but you get in a windy situation and it looks pretty dorky IMHO.

I would shave it down to 1/4" or so–but I get nervous about that too, I feel I have the same ridge on the back of my head you describe. Maybe ALL guys have that and we should just get over it? :slight_smile:

good luck

hakuna matata

3

Nah, I’m pretty much crew-cutted now; have a leeetle more on top than Rob Cordry but we’re in the approximate neighborhood. I’d recommend shaving it down super-short. Just this side of a Telly Savalas, let’s say. Lot of women actually find the (for want of a better description) severely close-cropped look the sexiest route for we the follicle-impaired. I’m actually triply impaired with a high forehead and fairly prominent ears (what an alluring picture I paint!), but I’ve still never seen the point of bothering with ol’ Hair Club for Men. Play the hand your dealt, embrace the changes, insert whatever touchy feely phrase here you like.

Besides, devilish good looks can make up for anything. :wink:

4

Well, I’m not in the same situation, being female and all, but I know one guy who takes the Propecia pills daily and grew a great head of hair. And it only took around four months to start looking really good. It borders on the miraculous.

I know another guy who had the transplants. He was beyond pleased. The healing process was slow, but once he got going, he looked terriffic.

5

My hair is thinning in pretty much the same pattern. In college I had rather long hair, especially in comparison to now. I remember seeing Phil Collins on MTV and being gla my hair wasn’t like his with the silly lonesome peice hanging out over his forehead. <sigh> Guess where I’m headed? I’ll not do anything about it as I’m not vain enough to cough up the money (I’ll do lasik long before I spent money on my hair). I have a growing collection of ball caps for the sunny days and that’s about it.

6

I started balding at 19. Haven’t done a thing about it except keep it shaved down to fuzz since it started looking goofy. Now it looks cool.

7

Go ahead and shave it now, just to see what you look like. :smiley: I have a full head of greying hair, or had rather, as I lost a bet with my students a few years ago. They got to shave my head at an assembly. Turns out I look a lot betted as a chrome-dome than I did with hair, so I’ve kept the skin showing. You never know until you do it. It can be very liberating. Besides, it will always gow back…you hope!

8

My response to balding is to shave off the rest of it. Camouflage, if you will. Makes it look like I’m bald on purpose :smiley:

Five years ago I had shoulder-length hair. I really liked wearing it that long, until somebody took a photo of me from behind. When I saw the photo, I suddenly realized just how ridiculous long hair looks with a big bald spot. I knew I was balding on top, but at the time I didn’t realize just how big that spot had gotten! So I cut it short. Then shorter, and then a bit shorter until I had a Marine Corps boot camp haircut. That allowed me to see exactly how my head was shaped, and I decided that I had a good head for shaving. I shaved it during the Summer, but let it grow back during Fall and Winter. After that first winter, though, I shaved it off again and kept it off - been shaved continuously for about 2 years now.

9

When I was a much younger man I had hair down to my shoulder blades that I wore in a ponytail. (Hey, it was the mid-70’s…) I started loosing hair when I was in my late 20’s. Now that I’m in my mid 40’s, most of it (on top) is gone. Being a Cheap Bastard®, I bought myself a home hair cutting kit and every 6 weeks or so I give myself a buzzcut. Saves me money and trips to the barber.

Wigs or implants or drugs seem like the height of vanity to me. That’s why I joined the BLF—the Bald Liberation Front—to ‘out’ those men who choose to hide what Mama Nature gave 'em.

10

One thing is certain; there really is nothing more pathetic and laughable than a man with a combover. Shaving or close cropping is good for most people. I’m keeping mine short, but not crew-cut, just short enough that there is no possibility of it flopping about and looking as if I’ve got something to hide.

11

I’m accidentally doing something about it. My hairline was receding along inheirited patterns. My prostate, meanwhile was giving me urinary troubles. My doc prescribed Avodart (durasteride,) which helped the urinary troubles. Now, when I get a new 'scrip, I go the the web to look up the whole fear sheet. I want to know everything my doctor should have told me. This one said it was a bit better than finesteride (Proscar) for prostate stuff, and it also reversed male pattern baldness as finesteride (Propecia) does. The drugmaker does not market it as a baldness treatment, though. So, as I coddle my dastardly prostate, my hair is gradually regaining lost territory. My barber says my hair is growing faster than is usual, and he has been a barber a long time.

I have mixed feelings about it. I was prepared to accept hair loss gracefully. Now, a drug for a different part of me is growing hair, as if I were taking a hair drug. I guess I should accept this lagniappe, this gift, from the drugmaker, but I feel a little guilty about my hair. :confused:

12

I started getting a bald spot 25 or so years ago and I’ve pretty much let nature take its course. The sides and back are still pretty thick but the top has thinned out a lot. I’ve thought about getting it shaved but just haven’t been able to bring myself to get it done. I just keep it cut fairly short. The thought of a combover makes me cringe.

13

Not doing a thing about my impending baldness.

“Grass grows better in manure.”

14

Steve Ballmer is living proof there is no cure for baldness.

15

Please, shout this from the rooftops. Too many men haven’t gotten the message.

16

Doing the shave myself. I figure if you have to be bald, there’s no point in doing it half-assed. Er, half-heartedly. :wink: I was concerned that I didn’t have the right head shape for the look, but I guess I do. I get told that I look like Bruce Willis fairly often. From what the ladies I know say about him, that’s a good thing indeed :cool:

I toyed with Rogaine for a while, but found it to be less than satisfying.

17

I have to admit, when my thining hair line got to the point to where I thought I just needed to cut my losses and shave the whole damn thing;(something I told myself I would do since I was a teenager) I was a little depressed about it all.

Now, five years later I couldn’t be happier, especially from all the positive responses I’ve had. (from women in particular) Not to mention it’s great to be able to wake up out of bed and not have to spend three hours trying to fix the ol’ mop top.

Lots of pros to being bald my friend:

No more shampoo/conditioner buying

Gives women an excuse to flirt with you; e.g. “can I rub your head?”

Forget about brushes.

Not a big deal if you get rained on because HEY you aint got no hair-do to ruin.

Convertables and motorcycles aren’t a problem at all.

There are tons more…

18

I have always looked at it this way. Each man is given the same amount of hormones. If those other guys want to waste their’s growing hair, it is not my problem.

19

I’m getting there, too. My bald spot has sent a trail of thinness towards my high Cordry/Lettermanesque forehead, just to the left of center. But since I comb my hair that direction (and have for years) it starting to get comboverish. I have wonderfully thick hair on the sides and back, tho. Another reason for not shaving- I have moles all over my body, including my scalp. I think I 'll just keep it on the short side.

For those of you who have blazed the trail- is there any particular maintaince you do to keep your chrome dome looking it’s best?

20

When I started losing my hair, I just shaved it down to fuzz.

Looks good.
And remember…Less hair, More head. :wink: