Overcoming The Psychological Effects Of Hair Loss

By Author: Thomas Strickland
Total Articles: 102
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If you are suffering from male pattern baldness or hair loss, then you already know that the effects can be psychologically damaging. You may be, or are suffering from low self-esteem, decreased confidence, and are emotionally sensitive to your hair loss and having the appearance of premature aging. And these are just a few of the psychological issues you may be facing. You may be experiencing decreased libido because of your insecurities and confidence concerns, or be struggling with depression and anxiety issues. The list of psychological effects of hair loss or male pattern baldness is overwhelming. If you are struggling with the emotional effects of hair loss, read here to find out why early treatment is necessary, before the emotional effects of hair loss severely disrupt your quality of life.

New research conducted on this very topic indicates that hair loss and/or male pattern baldness is not only about aesthetics and the need to feel attractive in a beauty and youth driven culture. It is intrinsically linked to our physical sense of wellbeing. A survey on the psychological effects of balding was conducted in 1998, ...
... on a total of 850 men between the ages of 18 and 40. The results were alarming. The most common psychological effects reported on hair loss and/or male pattern baldness was as follows: 25% of balding men reported feeling less confident, 20% of balding men felt more unattractive, and 16% felt inferior to those with no hair loss.

In addition to these factors, leading psychologists report that men who obsess about their hair loss may be also masking more serious psychological concerns such as depression, chronic anxiety, or OCD, (obsessive compulsive disorder) in extreme cases. If you are dealing with baldness, you probably found yourself nodding to a lot of these statistics. The evidence is overwhelming, male pattern baldness is not just an issue of beauty, it could lead to some serious psychological problems.

And it is not uncommon at all for hair loss or male pattern baldness to become more noticeable during the more stressful periods of life. This indicates to psychologists and researchers that stress does in fact play a crucial role in increasing the effects of the condition. Thus, while it is true that hair loss and male pattern baldness can be a sensitive subject, it can be far more psychologically damaging to the sufferer than can be imagined by those who have never experienced the condition. And the bottom line? Anxiety and stressing about the condition will only make it worse!

When it comes to male pattern baldness, there are more layers to the problem than just hair loss. You also have to keep in mind that the earlier you get treatment, the easier it will be to maintain as much hair as you want to maintain. You can try over the counter treatments and shampoos, or talk to your doctor about prescriptions such as propecia. Propecia and other prescription medication for baldness is being used by millions of men all over America with significant results. You may even want to try treatment such as Propecia in conjunction with over the counter shampoos or treatments to maximize your results. Tailor your hair loss treatment according to your own needs and lifestyle, and you will find yourself styling your hair again sooner than you think.