Talking About Hair Loss - It’s About Time

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Our culture is peppered with taboo subjects, things we just don’t discuss. Some of these are topics we only touch on with family while others are strictly for conversations with friends. Still more subjects may be considered unsuitable for mixed company. Then there are the topics that nobody discusses at all.

As our society grows older and wiser, we are slowly learning to embrace and encourage open discussions and to share our thoughts and feelings about the difficult obstacles in life. One such obstacle is hair loss. Yet we still have a long way to go in bringing hair loss into casual conversation in a meaningful way.

Suffering any kind of loss can be devastating. Hair loss is no different. Yet most hair loss sufferers remain silent as they go through the trying experience that hair loss incurs. [Read more]

Breeding Ground for Deception: The Dangers of Researching Hair Loss on The Internet

The Internet has created a global network of information, one that allows us to quickly and easily conduct research without having to pick up the phone or take a trip to the library. Information on the Web is free and accessible, but how reliable is it?

Online research must be pursued with great care. The Web is not monitored or regulated. Anyone can publish a web site and there is no guarantee that the information you access online is accurate or that it comes from a credible source.

Web sites that target hair loss sufferers with promises of miracle treatments should be reviewed with a critical eye. Here are three key points to remember when conducting hair loss research on the Web: [Read more]

September 11th - A Day of Remembrance

On September 11, 2001, I was awakened by a ground shaking explosion, the likes of which I have never experienced. You see I lived in New York City on 9/11, in a downtown loft, in the shadow of the World Trade Center.  Yvette and I barley escaped with our lives. As a matter of fact, Yvette actually risked her life fighting her way back downtown to our apartment in order to make sure that I was still alive.

The following excerpts are from our story published in the book Never Forget: An Oral History of September 11, 2001, by Mitchell Fink and Lois Mathins (Regan Books 2002).

As I’m watching television I see a plane on the screen about to hit tower 2. I could also see the shadow of the plane, it wasn’t on TV. The concussion from the explosion threw me about four feet across the room. I was in the living room when it hit. I live in a loft and was thrown into the kitchen landing on my back. [Read more]

Celebrity Hair Loss Treatments Exposed

Apparently hair loss sufferers of the world are not created equal. Whether it’s online, in print or on TV, rumor has it that certain unnamed celebrities have found the fountain of youth and are unwilling to share its hair raising properties with the rest of us.

Yes, a large segment of the hair loss world believes that celebrities have access to secret hair loss treatments that the rest of us mere mortals will never be able to afford, or get our grubby little hands on.

It must be true, just read the online message forums or the UK gossip rags. It’s all there in black and white.

Take a look at some of the ads promoting hair loss products and services. Many companies boast having a celebrity clientele. Some claim that their products were once reserved for the rich and famous, and are now for the first time being sold to the the general public. Even the hair piece industry has created names for their wigs like, Hollywood Lace or Celebrity Skin (this one might work well in another industry). [Read more]

Depression and Hair Loss: You’re not Alone

When I first realized I was losing my hair, more than 20 years ago, I was absolutely mortified, however, I think my reaction to the initial onset of hair loss was fairly typical.

First, I went through the denial phase.  I tried to convince myself that This can’t really be happening to me.  I mean I was only 21. It must be the water or something right?

Next came the questioning phase. I asked select friends and family questions like “Does my hair look different to you? Do I look like I’m going bald?”

This is never a good idea.  The truth is you’ll get different reactions depending on who you ask. Some family members will attempt to spare your feelings by saying things like, “Your hair looks great… What are you talking about? You have a ton of hair!” [Read more]

Misleading Hair Transplant Advertising: The Before and After Con Job

Have you ever seen a set of before and after photos and thought to yourself, Wow, that product must really work! It’s difficult to find fault in a product’s effectiveness when the evidence is so compelling. Yet the hair loss industry has been duping consumers for decades with photographs that tell stories of extreme success, but are based in nothing more than sheer and utter deception.

Nowadays, most consumers are aware of photo-retouching software and understand that images can easily be manipulated and touched up to resemble something other than reality. However, when an ad proudly declares that the photos haven’t been altered in any way, what’s a consumer to think? The photos must be real, and therefore the product or service must really work! [Read more]

Hot Bald Chicks

Men are no strangers to hair loss. In fact, as men age, male pattern baldness is  par for the course. But what about women? Are they getting off easy?

Statistics show that over 40% of all hair loss sufferers are women. In fact, you probably know a woman who’s coping with hair loss and doing a good job of hiding it. But if you knew that a woman was sporting a slick scalp and wearing a wig to conceal it, would you look at her in a different way?

Would you date her?

What if your girlfriend or wife started losing her hair? In our society we hold men and women up to different standards. Guys can get away with a receding hairline, even if it’s not our ideal look. Girls, on the other hand, can’t really pull it off. Or can they? [Read more]

Hair Loss and Politics: Joe Biden’s Hair Transplant

Politico.com is talking about vice presidential candidate Joe Biden. They’re not discussing his policies or evaluating his level of experience on foreign policy, and they didn’t even mention his running mate, presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Well, maybe that’s because Barack still has a full head of hair.

What the Politico article is talking about is Biden’s Helmet, the term they’re using to describe the senator’s current hairstyle. Apparently, Biden had a hair transplant when he was younger, with less than aesthetically pleasing results.. The initial procedure was performed a long time ago, and several hairstylists and hair loss experts who have followed Biden’s career provided remarks and commentary about the senator’s hairline.

Michael Beehner M.D., IAHRS member and Medical Director of the Saratoga Hair Transplant Center in New York noted, “When he had darker hair it was pretty obvious, he had larger plugs. With the lightening of his hair, it looks much, much better now.”

“Years ago, it was much more detectable,” said an anonymous surgeon, who also noted that the pattern of Biden’s hairline, “did not follow the normal path of baldness.” [Read more]

Brenden Fraser’s Hair Loss Attacked by Bully Reporters

Gossip rags love to nag on celebrities for any infraction against high fashion or for committing the grand sin of stepping out looking like less than a supermodel. And it doesn’t matter if they’re male or female — gossip journalists have their weapons loaded and are ready to fire off an arsenal of harsh insults.

Most online gossip articles are not what you’d call quality journalism. These pieces are peppered with misspellings and grammar errors, there is rarely a byline indicating who authored the piece, and frequently, these articles make broad (and false) assumptions.

The Insider

This site claims that Fraser has “hair plugs.”  Actually, what he’s wearing in the movies is a very natural looking lace hair system. The unknown author of the article states, “We hate to be so shallow, but we must admit that before picture really creeps us out.”

If you hate being shallow, then don’t be shallow. Instead of badgering Brendan Fraser and calling his look “creepy,” offer some support, focusing on how great he looks in his films.

In the words of one of the article’s commentators: “And WHO cares, HELLO? its Brendan Fraser, WE ALLLLLL know how hot he is.”

Williamsboard

This site claims to be “Williamsburg hipster central.” Since when is it hip to be cruel? One post in the online forum features a series of photos showing Brendan Fraser’s hairstyles over the past decade or so with the insightful introductory text: “this dude has the worst hair styles ever.”

Ain’t it cool how on the Internet, you can make fun of other people’s hair without ever having to show your own?

Commentators in this forum go on to rant about everything they dislike about the actor, from his face and hair to the movies he’s made, and they provide even more ammunition by posting pictures of Nicholas Cage and John Travolta, pointing out those actors’ hairlines as well.

Bad Hair Day

Taking aim at celebrity hairstyles is a full time job for this site, which does nothing but shine its dull spotlight on stars whose do’s don’t pass the Bad Hair Day bar.

“What’s the surefire way to debunk rumors that you wear a hairpiece? Well according to Brendan Fraser… all you need to do is sport a hairstyle so bad there is no way anyone would pay for it.”

The piece goes on to slam Fraser every which way it can.

Comments on the article included:

• “I understand why they all wear wigs…”
• “I dont [sic] care I think he is very handsome…”
• “Not to be shallow, but this totally alters my opinion of him…”

Clearly, the public is far more empathetic than the gossip reporters.

Fame and Fallout

Hair loss is difficult and can be devastating, and the same is true for the pressure of being a celebrity, constantly scrutinized by the media and the public. Add hair loss to the stress of being a star, and it could be downright traumatic.

Brendan Fraser wears hair well. So, why are people reacting so passionately and in mean spirits against his uncontrollable condition? It’s not like he willingly plucked the hairs on his head! He has a medical condition.

Men don’t have the luxury of enhancing their natural looks with makeup, push-up bras, and fake fingernails. When men seek treatment for hair loss, we’re not trying to be fake or pretentious. We’re just trying to get back something that nature took away – our hair.

If we work harder to speak out against gossipy reporters who make false claims and do little more than fling around callous and shallow insults, maybe we can draw attention to the fact that hair loss is a misfortune and an inconvenience, and let’s just be grateful that there are effective treatments and hair replacement options that we can use to look like ourselves and feel confident.

YouTube Celebrity Philip DeFranco Shaves His Head on a Bet!

YouTube Celebrity Philip DeFranco, better known as sxephil (Sexy Phil), recently shaved his head after losing a bet that involved a group of friends competing to see who could stay awake the longest.

The Phillip DeFranco show has almost 196,000 subscribers. This week’s video, which shows Phil getting his head shaved, has already been viewed over a quarter of a million times.

For those of us who suffer from involuntary hair loss, shaving a full head of hair is unimaginable and probably not a bet we’d be willing to make. However, Phil’s a cool guy whose looks have helped earn crazy success for his YouTube show, which features humorous news commentary and comedic antics, like his recent head shaving adventure. “I love my hair, but I am a man of my word. I lost the Insomniac Iron man competition.” Watch Phil get his head shaved [Read more]

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