One of the things I hate about hair loss

[Hairforever]

apart from the detrimental effect it has on my appearance is this feeling of not being in control. We all try these treatments and some of them work for some people but hair loss is a process that gives me a feeling of helplessness - I can't do something about it in a way I can about my weight, job etc. It's like a lifelong process of grieving. I wish barbers wouldn't insist on showing me the back of my head in a handheld mirror at the end of my haircut. The sight of the balding back of my head fills me with gloom for the rest of that day.

 

[Hairforever]

I guess I'm at stage 5 of grieving. I've had plenty of time getting there. I started losing my hair at 17 and am 49 now and have had 7 transplants along the way. If I'd found out about these sites earlier I would have had 2 hair transplants with a good surgeon, instead of just the last one. But that's life. I think the bargaining stage of grief must be the meds and hair transplants.

 

[Ori83]

5.Acceptance — "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it."
In this last stage, the individual begins to come to terms with her/his mortality or that of a loved one.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model

Unfortunately most of us wont ever accept it... if something bothers me the only relief is by fixing it or ignoring it, i cant do either with hairloss :/

(im stuck on sages 2 and 4 mostly)

 

[Hairforever]

Those that can accept it have peace of mind.

 

[Hairforever]

Could be that those of us who have had hair transplants had the mindset that would never have accepted going bald. Hence the reason why we had them. I'd shaved my head a year before I had my first transplant. I couldn't have been any balder. I went back to work after a long holiday as bald as a coot. The anxiety I felt in anticipation of my first day back was awful. Funny thing is that after a few days/weeks back I'd got used to it and everyone there seemed to accept it as I was pretty bald beforehand anyway.

I changed jobs a year later and that helped me make up my mind to have my first hair transplant. Not sure if it was a bigger mistake than taking propecia. For me the sides crept up and when I came off it my body went into a state of shock. That was 5 years ago and although I feel better than I did then, I'm still not right.

Some men will do pretty much anything to keep their hair. I'm just glad I didn't have a hair transplant in the 80s or 90s. Thankful for small mercies.

 

[Neoski]

Actually, I think that this grief system is appropriate for any form of grief, including hair loss. You just need to adjust your perception to a person who is suffering from hair loss.

Denial: "This must be just Telogen Effluvium from the stress that I had at work/school." "I am not getting enough vitamins or nutrition." "My dad still has a full set of hair, I can't be balding." "I am too young to bald."

Anger: "Why me? I am still young; I shouldn't be balding." "My parents are to blame for bad genetics." "How come my grandfather/brother/dad still has their hair and not me?" "This is not fair."

Bargaining: "Please let me keep my hair until I graduate from college/marry a hot wife. "

Depression: "None of the hair loss treatments are working, I give up." "Why bother going outside If I am going to be ridiculed/stared at?" "I feel so insecure about myself now."

Acceptance: "Hey, there are plenty of handsome bald people in this world." "I look decent shaved and don't have to worry about hair maintenance anymore." "Losing hair doesn't affect my health, it's fine."

Although, I understand that someone might be offended since this was originally for the terminally ill, this system can still be applied well to other forms of grief.

 

[ghg]

The 5 stages of grief apply, at least with me. I've been trying to move from 4 to 5 for years now, though... still hasn't happened . Hopefully one day I'll make that switch.

 

[uncomfortable man]

People in general is what I hate about hairloss, except for bald people... they understand. Everyone else can go f*** themselves until the day they either die or go bald themselves.

 

[s.a.f]

No prizes for guessing which stage Hoppi's at. :whistle: