Who Are You And What Does Your Hair Have To Do With It?

Hair loss can affect the confidence of men in many ways, here our resident hair loss expert, Spencer Stevenson shares his experiences and advice on the subject.

How much do you reckon your hair has to do with your identity as a man? If you were to go bald tomorrow, would you think you’re less of a man? What if it were all to fall out in random patches very quickly, say over a few weeks? Would you be able to salvage your identity? Frankly, we’re all a bit guilty of having our identity tied up in our appearance.

It could be the amount of hair we have, how grey it is, how well-defined our abs are, or whether we think our ears stick out too far. However, we feel when we look in the mirror, we need to realise that we are who we are, irrespective of the finer points of our appearance.

I’ve travelled the long road of hair loss myself and come out the other side with a full head of hair thanks to the modern miracle of hair transplant surgery, but I’m here to tell you that what I’ve learned throughout my entire experience is that I am me, no matter how many hairs per square inch I have on my scalp.

What Hair Loss Means Is Different For Everyone

All men are affected by hair loss in different ways. I’ve known blokes who’ve not been particularly worried about it and have simply grabbed a razor and lopped off whatever they did have left.

They’ve never looked back because now it’s so easy to look after and they treat themselves to a barbershop shave once a month. Sadly, that wasn’t how I felt and I put myself through the wringer catastrophising about what my thinning hair meant. See if you identify with any of these:

• “Nobody is going to find me attractive now!” Well if you think your romantic life is a non-starter just because you’re balding, you might as well call it quits anyway. Lots of people love bald men! And besides, if you’re going to put all your stock in the head-of-hair basket and neglect other aspects of what makes you, you, then you may just deserve to be involuntarily celibate. Focus on your dress sense, your personality, your social engagements or working out. Don’t just throw in the towel because of thinning hair, as there’s a lot more than hair that makes you who you are.
• “I can’t stand to look at myself!” So do something about it but for goodness’ sake, don’t fall into the abyss of despair. Hair loss is a gradual thing; you’ve likely been noticing the balding patches, or someone has pointed them out to you. Over time, you may have become more and more upset about them but you do have options. Get out there and book a consultation with a hair loss expert and find out what your options are. If I can give you one piece of advice above all others, it’s to avoid the comb-over at all cost!
• “I can kiss that promotion goodbye!” Well sure, with that attitude. Do you seriously think your employer is going to take one look at your bald patch and pass you over for promotion? If anything, it’s going to be more likely that your confidence has waned and you’ve stopped being so forthright in your behaviours. Keep reminding yourself that your hair doesn’t define your abilities.

Shift The Focus Elsewhere

There’s more to you than your hair. While you’re investigating your options to remedy your hair loss – and they could be vitamins or hair products through to the full hair transplant surgery route – check back in on yourself and what makes you the terrific bloke you already are.

There are ways you can improve the way others see you and in turn, the way you see yourself, and they’ll make you physically feel better as well as mentally.

• Join A Gym – Working out gets the endorphins flowing and the muscles bulging. Every small step you take is progress towards trimming down and adding definition.
• Grooming Matters – Book an appointment at a men’s salon for some eyebrow taming, a facial that’ll remove blackheads and a professional shave that’ll make you feel a million bucks. You might also consider having a spray tan.
• Swap Out Your Specs – If you wear glasses, see about getting some new ones in an updated style, or try some contact lenses for a change.
• See A Stylist – Department stores and high street boutiques often offer complimentary styling services. Have someone dress you in clothes that accentuate all your best features.
• Dental Makeover - It doesn’t have to be drastic like a complete mouth re-work but even getting your teeth cleaned and polished and fixing any that are broken or chipped can make a world of difference.
• Walk Taller – Your posture can draw attention to you in good and bad ways. Train yourself to stand up straight with your shoulders back and you’ll feel more empowered and better about yourself.
• Fake It ‘Til You Make It – A smile, even if you have to fake it at first, does wonders for anyone’s appearance.

It's Not All About Your Hair

By making some of the above changes, you’ll be attracting more positive attention all round. You owe it to yourself to feel good and to project an image of confidence. Along the way, if your hair loss is that detrimental to your self-esteem that you avoid looking at yourself in the mirror, then it’s time to explore your options.

It’s important that you take affirmative action and not let yourself spiral into anxiety or depression. You can begin with vitamin supplements and investigate specialist hair products. Make an appointment to see a hair loss expert who can appropriately diagnose your condition and provide you with recommendations.

For me, the ultimate solution was hair transplant surgery and ironically, once I had my hair back, I was able to look back and see that I’m still the same guy I always was, just with a hairier head of hair. I hope you’ll see that for yourself too.

For further information on hair loss, visit Vitabiotics’ hair loss expert’s site: www.spexhair.com To learn about Hairfollic, the multivitamin supplementdesigned to help maintain normal hair health, visit: www.hairfollic.com