Dear Fionnuala: I'm 25 and going bald. I don't want to look like dad!
I’m losing my hair, but treatment can be expensive and I have plans to go Australia
FIONNUALA – I’m torn about what to do with my hair. I’m a 26 year old man, and I’m already going bald.
My father has been bald as long as I can remember, and my uncles are the same so I knew it was coming but it’s really sad that it’s happening to me so early.
I have a bit saved so I could afford to get a hair transplant in a year or two, but it would really wipe me out financially and mean any plans I have for Australia would be on hold. I’ve looked into the drugs too, but I'm a bit worried about the side effects.
I’m not ready to look like my father already though, and I’m scared girls are going to just be put off by a fella with no hair.
I’m not going to do the kneejerk thing and say ‘it’s what’s inside that counts’ and dismiss your very real concerns for your looks. While it is true, in our everyday lives and particularly when you’re young, we do care what we look like and that’s not a bad thing at all. When you look good, you’re confident. It’s not everything, but it is something.
However, there’s a difference in caring how you look, and caring how other people perceive how you look. I want to dismiss the idea that girls ‘are going to be put off’. I promise you, what women are attracted to would astonish you. No reasonable women would dismiss a man based on whether he looks like Rapunzel or not.
There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve done your research online but I want you to spend some time on sites where men embrace the shaved/bald look: see how the other side live before you make any big decisions. This week’s weather is a good time to experiment; would you take the plunge and shave it during the summer months, and see how it suits you?
You are young, and you’ll have plenty of battles ahead. Sometimes, the path of least resistance is the right one, so we can save our money and our energy for the things that really need it. If you go down the treatment route, make sure you’ve thought about the alternatives too – a good razor is a lot cheaper than surgery.