Does Going Bald Mean You Lose Your Looks?
According to The Times, 63% of men report that hair loss or balding has negatively affected their careers. There are plenty of things you can do about hair loss, but the permanent solutions are painful and all solutions are costly. I would like to take a look behind the statistics. What is it about hair loss that has a negative effect on our careers? Yale’s Daniel Hamermesh conducted a study, “Beauty in the Labor Market.” He found that people with above average looks typically received premiums in pay of 5% or more, and that less attractive people “suffered a salary penalty of up to 9%.”
Does the hair loss problem have to do with your looks? Your hair is the frame of your face, we often use our hair style to create the perfect shaped face or as close to it as we can. Not all faces need to be framed, if you have a naturally oval shaped face, or something close to it then you probably don’t need hair at all and you are best to shave it all off. Take a look at Vin Deisel for example.
What are the disadvantages of going totally bald? If you do choose to shave it off, and you have pale skin and dark hair, you are going to look somewhat funny as the contrast with your scalp and your hair will give your head an odd look. I recommend to anyone in this predicament to get a good sun tan, the tanned scalp will lessen the contrast between hair stubble and your scalp. Now, just so I don’t get sued by someone who gets skin cancer I am going to put in this disclaimer, you can get a fake tan, it works just as well.
The first thing to do when you start to go bald is to cut you hair short. If you have long locks, it is time to get rid of them. I know this is going to break your heart, but you are just going to have to bite the bullet on this one. There is only one thing worse than a balding hippy, and that is the comb over.
Do not comb over under any circumstance, it doesn’t actually fool anyone, and it just makes you look even uglier. (I don’t know why I have to say this it is so obvious, but clearly I do, just look at Donald Trump). In fact, I would go so far as to suggest you avoid any combing over by brushing your hair away from the bald spot. It will leave you with a bigger bald spot granted, but you won’t be accused of combing over. I have had some people say, “I am not combing over I have always combed my hair this way.” Still a comb over, no excuses, change your hair style.
If you are balding on top but still have a fairly good hair line, you can look just as attractive as you would otherwise by getting the perfect hair style, as you may still have enough hair to create the frame for your face.
What you shouldn’t do is let the hair that you have left, grow too thickly, as this gives your head a weird shape, just ask George Castanza. Cut your hair as short as possible, and keep it trimmed and tidy, up the haircuts to once every 3 weeks, and invest in some hair clippers, a good pair of scissors and some practice at using them in the mirror (it’s just like driving in reverse gear, it takes a little practice), as you will need to keep your hair very tidy and a small trim every week may be necessary. Just trim the hair around your ears, trim your side burns, and shave the back of your neck, this should keep you looking good until your next trip to the hair dresser.
Keep your hair longer at the back, not too long so it looks like you’re an aging hippy, just long enough to make it looks like you have more than three inches of hair between your bald spot and your neck. If you have a long face and receding hairline, you may want to consider growing a beard; this will shorten the length of your face and give you a more balanced and attractive look. You will need to make sure your beard is neatly trimmed to show people you are not just being lazy. This look is not for everyone, because it could make you look much older.
If all else fails hair transplants might be the only option, but what I am trying to say is that losing your hair doesn’t necessarily mean you are losing your looks. It may be that you look just as attractive without hair or it may mean you need to do your hair differently. But when all is said and done, we only live once, there is no point going through the rest of our life being descriminated against because of our looks.
Does Going Bald Mean You Lose Your Looks? by Annalisa Armitage
