If you think that baldness is only for elderly men, you would be very wrong.
In the past being bald was associated mainly with gentlemen over a certain age.
Unfortunately anyone can find themselves thinning on top.
Luckily there is not as much stigmatization for it as there once was.
The recent fashion trend has men shaving their heads when they start to go bald.
Women are not quite as accepted without their hair.
There are treatment methods available for those that can afford them.
In this article we will discuss some of the treatment options for the balding head and discuss why some people go bald and some do not.
You may be surprised to learn how much is fiction and how much is fact.
What is baldness? Basically baldness is losing hair where there should be some.
This is not referring to people that find that they cannot grow hair on their faces, under their arms or on their legs.
Generally speaking it is when the hair on the head begins to thin and fall out or stops growing completely.
It can be caused by a number of factors and it is not limited by age.
Some people have genetic disorders where they are unable to grow hair of any kind anywhere.
You may not believe it but humans are not the only ones that can lose their hair.
It has been discovered that primates can lose their hair as well.
Many people find themselves becoming stressed about the loss of their hair.
It can lead to a deteriorating self image.
What are the psychological effects of baldness? The psychological effects of going bald or having thin hair vary from person to person.
Some people accept their condition and learn to live with it.
Others though may suffer from psychological issues.
They may associate their hair with virility or their femininity.
Long hair on women is seen as sexy.
So a woman that is losing her hair may start to lose her confidence along with those strands of hair.
A man may feel that he will appear to be old and infirm.
These are all conditions of the psyche that can be addressed with the help of a therapist.
Your status in life should not be based on how thick or how long your hair is.
What are the treatment options for baldness? Unlike ten years ago, there are now many options for people suffering from hair loss.
There are topical medications that can be used on the scalp.
Two of the leading brands are Propecia and Minoxidil.
When the treatments first were approved they were targeted solely at men but recently have crossed over into the feminine market.
If a shampoo or hair treatment solution is not the option for you or you find that it is not working you can always go with surgery.
Hair implant success has increased as doctors and researchers have found more ways to put donor hair or the patient's own hair in areas that were previously bald.
The surgery is still expensive and is generally not covered by insurance but it is an option.
There also may be one treatment option that you may not have heard of.
It is limiting the type of exercise that you do.
Researchers believe that weight training leads to an increase in testosterone and that this hormone can lead to hair loss.
What is the cost for treatment for baldness? Well that depends on what treatment method you are contemplating.
If you are doing a simple "comb over" then the treatment is only limited by the length of the section you are combing over the bald area.
But if you are using topical ointments and medications for hair loss you could be spending several hundred dollars a year.
These ointments are still cheap in comparison to hair implants.
Implants can cost you thousands and thousands of dollars in treatment fees and hair costs.
Unfortunately most insurance companies consider this a cosmetic procedure and do not cover it.
That means that it will have to come out of your pocket.