Why we Brits are here!

[Withnail]

Evening Gents

On the train to work, sat opposite 2 American guys and got chatting.
Could'nt believe their teeth (like some toothpaste advert).

So got thinking 'Americans look after their teeth and so probably do what they can for their hair', and so this is where I find myself - regularly.

We've got a UK website (stophairlossnowdotcodotuk) and the chat's a good 5 years behind this one. Only I don't want to upset anyone and tell the guys on there that they're in the wrong place.

For me this site's one of the reasons the web was invented.

 

[imissmyhair]

i think most people in north america are more open with their physical appearance concerns like i know my dad is english/irish and moved here. he rarely discusses his balding or physical appearnace, only when i bring up the subject and even then he seems uneasy

but i know with my friends and co-workers (people born in north america) its pretty open discussion on health/fitness/appearance even with guys

 

[The Gardener]

From my travels, and I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this but it has been a general observation, I get the impression that compared to most other nations, Americans tend to have an obsession with hygiene. I am most specifically referring to things like grooming, frequent bathing, food handling and hand washing, etc.

Now, I would NOT rank the Brits any lower than we are in this regard, but the continentals are a slight notch down in this department. Not saying they do anything wrong, but they just don't have the same obsession that the Americans have. I mean, here, we get squeamish when we shake someone's hand and there is a little perspiration on it! It is almost considered a hygienic faux pas to not have dry hands. On the other hand, in most other places in the world it is not a huge deal to have a little body odor.. wheras here, having even the slightest tinge of BO is considered almost vulgar.

It's hard to elaborate further on it, but, it is just some small things I've noticed from time to time and some experiences that made me realize it... female shaving rituals, caring for finger and toenails, hygienic conditions at grocery stores, breath odor, frequency of hair shampooing, etc.

And, this obsession is not necessarily a good thing, on the contrary, it can be an excessive preoccupation sometimes. Come to think of it, if nations had personalities, the US would be the poster child for narcissistic personality disorder.

 

[Redbone]

Anybody in America with money has good teeth and their kids have good teeth. At a very early age the responsible parent begins taking their child to the dentist. We also have Fluoride in the water to to help with teeth as well.

Teeth are a big deal in america because to us it dictates hygene.

Now go brush your teeth, ka ka mouth :freaked2:

Gardner please.... Body odor, hairy armpits- poster child for narcissism? Don't even tell me you would go down on one of those European chix if they had kaka teeth, hairy pits and body odor. Reminds me of the Madonna Penthouse spread back in 1986 :freaked:

Come to Miami and experience life baby-

 

[elguapo]

Withnails,

First of all, thanks for the complement. Though, the flipside is that, yes, Americans are very... shallow might be the word I'm looking for. Don't know what the cause is- if it's media, or just ourselves wanting to look better. Probably both. But man, I watch tv lately, and all these damn shows about teens in california and blah blah blah, just annoy the hell out of me. I want to see some damn CONFLICT, somebody in a pinch working his or her way out of it! And I want the main character to be an average shmuck like everybody else.

But I'm curious, are the British changing the way they care for their teeth, for example? I grew up on a farm, and we literally had a well filled with water (aka "well water"=) that we used for drinking and showering and everything. My friends who grew up in the city don't have any cavities, probably because the city water has flouride in it, while well water (obviously) doesn't. I'm wondering if the "standards" are changing in the UK.

 

[Bryan]

I grew up on a farm, and we literally had a well filled with water (aka "well water"=) that we used for drinking and showering and everything. My friends who grew up in the city don't have any cavities, probably because the city water has flouride in it, while well water (obviously) doesn't.

Err...it's not at all "obvious" that well water doesn't have fluoride in it. Some well water in certain locations contains significant levels of fluoride, while other areas don't. That's how they discovered the effect of fluoride on teeth in the first place many decades ago: certain localities around the country had unusually low levels of dental caries, and they traced it to the fluoride in the local drinking water! :wink:

Bryan

 

[The Gardener]

Gardner please.... Body odor, hairy armpits- poster child for narcissism? Don't even tell me you would go down on one of those European chix if they had kaka teeth, hairy pits and body odor. Reminds me of the Madonna Penthouse spread back in 1986 :freaked:

Come to Miami and experience life baby-

Haha.. come on, Redbone, you know me. Well, no kaka teeth for me, but as for a little HAIR down THERE, a touch of odor (feminine odor only), and some sweat, no problems here!

99% of the folks reading this have an image in their minds of Gardener f*****g some unkempt wildebeast of a woman from deep Appalachia... but you, Redbone, you know what I am REALLY talking about. Miami... the very thought, honestly, makes me infernally jealous!

Withnail - This website has been heaven-sent for me as well. It gave me the real story on which products do what, what they cost, and in the early days of my regimen I had learned so much from the old folks here about what is worth trying and what is crap. I'm glad you found this site, it sounds like you appreciate the information here. Keep in mind that this site is only as good as its contributors, so when you have tinkered around with things and found a regimen that works for you, don't forget about HairLossTalk.com... HairLossTalk.com needs experienced people to help the new crops of newbies, and any of your success stories in the months ahead will be very much valued here.

 

[powersam]

all that obsessive washing, not good for kids. prevents them from developing an adequate immune system. generations of sickly allergic kids, thats whats coming your way

 

[Guest]

I do beleive you will find that the scandinavians are genrally the cleanest nations on earth.

I have been to various places in the U.S and have not found it to be any different to the UK.

A mix of super-clean people to some proper stinking fat bastards with sh*t breath and pussies that smell like red snapper.

 

[Slartibartfast]

But I'm curious, are the British changing the way they care for their teeth, for example?...I'm wondering if the "standards" are changing in the UK.

Like neiltom said, I'm sure that the importance applied to caring for ones teeth varies just as much in America as in the UK. Perhaps any gap between us now arises from differences in the popularity of braces and other tooth-enhancing measures.

What has improved the general quality of teeth is the widespread use of toothpastes containing fluoride, assuming your parents make you use it twice a day. Neither of mine used fluoride-based pastes whilst growing up, and they both have the fillings to prove it, whereas I, a dedicated sweet eater, have never had any toothy problems.

But you can have too much of a good thing, as dental fluorosis shows. So it's rather unfortunate that our Government now seems to be set on forcing people to ingest fluoride by contaminating our water supply with it.

Slarti

 

[mon]

I think Americans are more teeth conscious for some reason (probably due to TV commercials), but Brits have a greater awareness of body and hair i.e. they are lot more sporty nd tend to be leaner and athletic in build compared to Americans. In America, there is an epidemic of obesity.

 

[biff]

What I find strange is the number of Brits on here compared to Americans. I did a poll on here the other week and there wasn't that many more Americans than Brits on here. With the population difference there should be four to five times more Americans. This means that there are either more balding Brits than balding Americans or that Brits are more insecure about going bald and are actively seeking information on how to stop it. This would suggest that Brits are more vain than Americans.

I think there are also a lot of people with bad teeth in America. If you haven't got health insurance you are screwed. In the past dentists in Britain didn't use braces on people if it was for cosmetic reasons, they only used them if there was a medical need. This was because the State picked up the bill through the NHS and they didn't want to waste money on what was seen as a cosmetic procedure. In those days there weren't many private dentists and most people got their teeth sorted through the NHS. Things have changed in Britain now with more people using private dentists. It is now hard to find NHS dentists in some areas so people without money/health insurance aren't getting any dental treatment at all.

There are probably also a lot of people like me in Britain. I should have had braces when I was around 15 but didn't want them. When you are 15 the last thing you want is a load of metal in your mouth and have the piss taken out of you by everyone! My teeth weren't that bad either, the braces would have only been for very minor cosmetic reasons, it's not like I am Goofy or anything! What are American kids like, do they take the piss out of kids with braces?

 

[Guest]

I do find there are a strangely large number of hair concious people on this site.....

 

[Withnail]

So anway i've just bought myself an 'electric' toothbrush and some floss.

These will be added to my cosmetic regimen in the am and pm.

 

[Radio]

I have read this thread and taken most of the salient points on board, to this effect I have just gone out and bought a bar of this 'soap' I have heard so much about.

 

[Dick Hyman]

LOL

I dig this guy Radio. He posts some Funny sh@t.

The gardener, thats a pretty serious bulge you got there in your pic.

 

[biff]

I have read this thread and taken most of the salient points on board, to this effect I have just gone out and bought a bar of this 'soap' I have heard so much about.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Barry_Blue]

Our doctors are absolutely clueless when it comes to hairloss treatments as well. When I first started losing my hair I visited my GP only to be told there's absolutely no way he'd prescribe me Propecia because I'll end up impotent and have breasts. Until this point I had faith in doctors so I believed his scaremongering. He also told me Regaine was a scam, useless etc. A few months later, still no treatments started and more hair lost, I visited another doctor. He told me exactly the same things only adding "don't waste my time" with it. I then paid £45 to visit a trichologist who told me my doctor was right, propecia is extremeley dangerous but Regaine isnt a bad "maintenance" product. All he did was recommend I save up for a hair transplant or come back and visit him to pay more ridiculous amounts of money to have what looked like a 19th century vibrator buzzed on my head, this has a "great success rate" apparently. He also sold me a bottle of stinking shampoo which is effectively T-Gel, for £8.

Ignorance - plain and simple. 6 months now on finasteride and no sides whatsoever. The last time I checked I hadn't been magically transformed into a woman overnight either.
I only wish I'd discovered this site sooner and the time and money I could have saved myself.