Although many men are distressed when they start losing their hair, they don't have to look far to find examples of bald men who are considered successful, youthful and handsome. Andre Agassi, Bruce Willis, Michael Jordan, Vin Diesel, the list goes on and suggests that baldness can be sexy. However, balding women are hard pressed to find same "bald is beautiful" message.
"It's totally acceptable for a man to be bald," says Dr. Brad Limmer, a dermatologist specializing in hair transplantation who has a private practice in San Antonio, Texas. "It's not for a woman. So much emphasis and value is place on a woman's head of hair; it's hard to even compare the impact on men and women."
People tend not to associate pattern baldness, also known as genetic hair loss, with women, but it is just as common, though the timing and pattern of hair loss is different. While men tend to start losing hair in the 30s and 40s, thinning begins in the 40s or 50s in women. And while men tend to lose hair in the front and at the top of the head, women's hair thins diffusely throughout the scalp. Luckily total baldness is very rare in women.
Psychological Impact
Studies have linked pattern baldness in both men and women not only to dissatisfaction with one's appearance, but also to lowered self-esteem and other measures of self-worth. A 1999 study published in the
Journal of Women's Health and Gender-Based Medicine found that hair loss in women was associated with self-consciousness and jealousy.
Copyright 2009 NBC Health
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