Hi guys: serious question. Having taken finasteride and applied minoxidil without success I am coming to the end of the road. My hair loss is now so bad that I dread going out. I would dearly love to shave my head but it is a really bad shape and this is just unthinkable for me. I am looking at hair systems, but have lots of concerns: especially as my sides are so thin; and the costs (which am not sure if I can afford long term). I am 58 and no longer work, so am wondering if an option is to simply never been seen without some for of head covering: indoors and out. Was sitting opposite a Sikh on the metro the other day and thought that for him hair loss wold be much less a matter of anxiety. And of course Muslim women cover their hair permanently in public. Does anyone live their life with permanent head coverings? And do you get used to it? Would welcome any insights.
Can I Wear A Hat For The Rest Of My Life?
- Thread starter Nuntius
- Start date
I'm 25 and wear a hat 70% of time I go out. Obviously you can't wear them during certain social events e.g. formal shindigs, clubbing, dentist appts...
but yeah, I'm pretty much used to it. It saves time as I don't have to style, plus it's good for sun protection.
However, as you're 58 I'm not sure if hats give out the right vibe. Caps could make you make you look like a thug/paedo, beanies are too hipster, trilbies/porkpies are a bit pretensious. Honestly it all depends on how you look, dress and carry yourself.
but yeah, I'm pretty much used to it. It saves time as I don't have to style, plus it's good for sun protection.
However, as you're 58 I'm not sure if hats give out the right vibe. Caps could make you make you look like a thug/paedo, beanies are too hipster, trilbies/porkpies are a bit pretensious. Honestly it all depends on how you look, dress and carry yourself.
It is affecting me very badly. I can't sleep at night and have felt suicidal at times. The problem is the shape of my head. Some people stare at it. It goes up far too high, and is not even. As my hair is thinning fast it looks worse by the day. I know it is not like having cancer, but it seriously affects my enjoyment of life. I think it is wrong when people assume that because you are male and in your late 50s you should just get over it. As I say, if I had a good head shape I would love nothing more than to shave it all off.
Headphones could help you if you have an odd-shaped head (which I doubt anyone notices other than yourself).
Yesterday I read of a man of my age whose daughter bought him a chemo hat following his hair loss due to treatment. Fortunately, I don't have cancer, but my hair loss is pretty severe. So it seems odd to me that it is acceptable for a man to wear a chemo hat for hair loss if due to treatment, but not if due to male pattern baldness. That said, I am not sure a chemo hat would suit me, and would clearly raise other issues...
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I didn’t say that you should just get over it. I suggested psychotherapy because that is what I’m doing and it’s helping a little but it takes time. I’m very sorry to hear that you feel like that as I know the pain and I’m much younger than you. Hope things work out for you!
No, I know you didn't. Sorry if it came out that way. And thanks for your wishes.
Are yo
Are you getting psychotherapy specifically to deal with your hair loss? I can see the benefit of counselling in certain cases. But am a bit skeptical about Freudian and Jungian psychotherapy: except to the extent that talking about our problems and sharing them can help.
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I started therapy because I’ve been dealing with anxiety, depression, and addiction since I was 16. On February I checked myself in a psych ward to detox. After that, it’s been a living hell; severe anxiety, depression, agoraphobia, suicidal thoughts. A couple of months after rehab I finally started to get better until my hair began to thin dramatically. Now I gotta deal with this sh*t too. I can’t believe that of all times it is happening now.
I am now doing therapy 2 times x week and it is helping but only a little.
Life is brutal.
Am really sorry to hear that. I don't have a history of depression, but got a bug in September which seemed to trigger severe depression and anxiety. First time in my life, and has given me an insight into how awful it is. The stress of that seems to have accelerated my hair loss and general anxiety, along with feelings of loneliness. I want to get back to how I felt over the summer and before: but it is hard: especially with my hair getting so bad. I started going bald at 24, but was lucky in a way as it has been a very slow process: though cold comfort now... I really hope the therapy works for you.
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You're an a**h** you know that? Are you proposing he permanently fasten studio-grade headphones to his scalp?
Haha I mean it's gotta be better than the chemo hat he's contemplatingYou're an a**h** you know that? Are you proposing he permanently fasten studio-grade headphones to his scalp?
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He could put surgical grade tape on his head, then conceal it with make-up that is his skin color to even out skull appearance.
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Option 1: Go outside and work with what you’ve got with a shaved head and embrace the totally normal shaved head. Being in your 50’s it is very socially accepted to be bald and is more likely to look good with you being bald at your age.
In time you will accept your look the more you face it head on.
Option 2: Micro scalp pigmentation, if you want the look of a full head of hair that’s been shaved down to the dot.
Option 3: Hair system. If you are that worried about your thinning sides and back you can get a full cap (hair system that includes the side and back)
These are your options as far as I see. Please try to enjoy and embrace other parts of life and not dwell on something such as hair.
In time you will accept your look the more you face it head on.
Option 2: Micro scalp pigmentation, if you want the look of a full head of hair that’s been shaved down to the dot.
Option 3: Hair system. If you are that worried about your thinning sides and back you can get a full cap (hair system that includes the side and back)
These are your options as far as I see. Please try to enjoy and embrace other parts of life and not dwell on something such as hair.
sorry, but am a bit tired of people going on about shaving my head. It is not, I repeat not an option for me. Not everyone has a skull shape that works for baldness. I don't. My skull goes up much too high and is not symmetrical. I can tell from back lightening that I would look awful. Yes, a hair system is a possibility (albeit depressing and costly). I'd still be interested to hear from anyone who lives by headgear. I no longer have to work. And I live in a big city where there are lots of religious minorities who never bare their heads: muslims, sikhs and rastafarians for example. I ask myself why I therefore have to when it causes me so much distress. Yes, maybe it shouldn't, but it does. People look at my head. It happened twice this afternoon, as it is looks odd: especially under certain lightening conditions which are hard to avoid I feel much much better when it is hidden; then some of my natural confidence returns. The main problem I encounter is heat. It is proving quite hard to find something which I can wear indoors without the temperature becoming uncomfortable. I wonder how Sikh men and Muslim women manage in hot humid weather (?) I may well try a hair system, but I need a back up plan if it looks bad and/or I can't cope in humid weather.
See it this way: those guys must wear one type of headwear while you can choose among several types. Just find a style that suits you.
I have been wearing a very thin merino wool beanie for 1 month and it's ok as long as I don't run and stay away from heat sources. Cotton beanies may be better, if you can find a single-layer one. Fisherman hats and bandanas are the best but I don't like them very much.
I have been wearing a very thin merino wool beanie for 1 month and it's ok as long as I don't run and stay away from heat sources. Cotton beanies may be better, if you can find a single-layer one. Fisherman hats and bandanas are the best but I don't like them very much.
I've ordered some more cotton beanies. Agree with you on bandanas. They wouldn't suit me either. Ditto fisherman hats. Have been looking at Islamic kufi hats. You can get them plain, and they sit a bit further up the head. Am concerned about covering too much of my forehead (which you have to do with a beanie) due to the heat issue. Anything wool is a bit of a no no as will give me a rash. Most places these days are over heated: and we are obviously getting hotter and more humid summers. So I guess it will be a question of experiment. Sikh and muslim men continue to wear their headgear at the height of summer, so It may be just a question of getting used to it. If a hair system doesn't work out for me I think I have no choice, as a life with my ugly bald head exposed will not be worth living!