Is Hair Loss really an Emotional Loss?
Definitely! Obviously Im in frequent contact with guys who've suffered from hair loss, some hair loss is recent and others have battled with it for years. Some have hidden it under a hat, while others have tried all sorts of remedies, from pills and potions, to invasive surgery - but they all talk to me about the emotional effects that their hair loss had on them.
Being aged in your 20s is often a time of partying, hanging with mates, going on dates and generally having a carefree and fun time, but two of my guys, both in their early 20s, stopped having fun and really shrunk back into quite solitary and anti-social lives due to their hair loss.
I recall one of my guys very reluctantly taking his baseball cap off so I could assess his hair loss to recommend an appropriate solution. He said “Scott, this cap rarely comes off. I hate what is under it”. He sure did hate it, in fact he was letting hair loss really control his social life, he’d stopped dating, stopped hanging out with his mates and had spent the last few months alone fishing. He said “ I don't know how much a hair tattoo costs, it’s worth it!”.
I had another client who had considerable hair loss, he felt he was happy in all other aspects of his life, a beautiful wife, he was healthy, worked out a lot and had a great career, but he said he felt disconnected with his appearance due to his hair loss. He had looked at all sorts of hair loss solutions, including hair transplants and settled on Scalp Micropigmentation due to its “walk in/walk out nature, and of course the huge cost difference. We did a few great SMP sessions and a few weeks after his final session he texted me to say he hasn't had this kind of confidence in 8 years!
Another client is a well known hairdresser, he actually flies around Australia training in the most up to date techniques and he said that he always received remarks about how ironic it is that he’s a bald hairdresser. he was quite an upbeat guy but i could tell that it troubled him, he said that people, and men especially feel like they can make vicious remarks about other mens hairless and that it doesn't have an effect - but it does. He is a long term hairpiece client and now has an incredible sense of confidence - he actually refuses to look in the mirror if he isn't wearing his hairpiece, as he said “that’s not me anymore”. It's a huge change in confidence. He told his wife that he felt guilty about spending money on his own personal appearance and she said it’s well worth it because it bought back the happiness and spark that he’d lost along with his hair.
Part of the emotional loss of male hair loss also comes from dealing with ones peers, who seem to think it is acceptable to take cheap shots and mock their friends hair loss. Whenever I do a promotion on Facebook, Im amazed and frustrated by the idiots who tag their friends in my posts and make snide remarks about their receding hairlines.
One of my clients, a successful football player, said he was so insecure about his hair loss that he’d only ever spoken to three people about it, his wife, his hairdresser and me. He said he is so embarrassed whenever anyone brings up hair loss with him.
Dealing with hair loss, and finding a hair replacement solution, can be pretty daunting. If I feel a client is unsure when we’re having a consultation, I always encourage him to talk to his GP about hair loss medication, or if he wants longer hair than I can provide through Scalp Micropigmentation, then to contact a surgeon about Hair Transplants. But approximately 50% of my clients have had “successful” hair transplants but are left with very thin hair (this is especially true if the client doesn't have a lot of hair to “donate” from one part of his head to another), or some are left with terrible scars that we try to camouflage with Scalp Micropigmentation. I really feel for these guys, not only have they lost their hair, but they spent thousands and thousands on surgery and still don't have the results they wanted - or worse, they’re left with terrible scarring. I feel a real responsibility to do my best to give them the best head of hair possible as it’s awful seeing how crushed they are by their experiences.
Hair loss really is a loss of confidence, it’s not only a sign of ageing but I suppose it’s also about losing control of something that most people take for granted. Most people are solutions based - if we’re feeling out of shape we join a gym or change our diet, if we’re feeling a bit behind the times or in need of a spruce up, we buy new clothes. But hair loss solutions aren't quite as simple as joining a gym or hitting the fashion outlets, there are only so many options, good and bad, and they can confound a guy and exacerbate his hair loss problem because he isn't acting on his instinct to find a long term solution, and his confidence plummets even further.
For me, the proof of how a good hair loss solution can improve a guys self esteem, is written all over the faces of my happy clients as they leave the clinic, and in the incredible thank you texts I receive, months after the Scalp Micropigmentation treatment has ended. Remember the young guy I discussed earlier who hid his hair loss under his cap? He sent me a fantastic selfie the other day and said “mate, Im back on Tinder and having a great time, I love my new hair”. After his Brisbane Scalp Micropigmentation sessions, I can honestly his confidence has improved along with his brilliant new hairline. Cheers Scott
