Why Baldness is a Blessing

While most men dread the mere thought of losing their hair, here are five very good reasons to at least consider baldness a blessing.

For as long as men have been around, there has been balding. Historical icons like Julius Caesar covered up their thinning hair with wreaths. Even France's King Louis XIV's disguised his baldness with grandiose wigs. The most powerful of figures were still insecure about what lied on top of their head (or rather what didn't).

Not only does losing one's hair often signify growing older, but many men think that losing their hair will make them less desirable sexually, professionally, and with first impressions. However, balding isn't something to tear out the hair you have left over.

King Louis
King Louis ain't fooliln' nobody.

Why do men go bald in the first place?

Men for the most part experience baldness because it's genetic. While it's believed that men inherit the male pattern baldness gene from their mother, men actually can inherit the gene from either parent. Male pattern baldness results in a high amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which agitates normal hair growth patterns and causes hair follicles to die.

Extreme baldness is Alopecia, where hair follicles are attacked by the body's immune system, resulting in patchy baldness that does not follow the normal male pattern baldness hair loss patterns.

Statistics show that nearly 40% of men will experience some baldness by the time they are 35. While this figure might make some men in haste run up their credit cards at Hat World, they should instead embrace baldness as a sign of distinguished maturity. It happens to a lot of men (and even some women). In fact, balding goes with men like sagging boobs go with women (just imagine those women who experience saggy boobs AND balding).

The worst thing you can do is stress out about it because that, too, causes hair loss. Going bald shouldn't be seen as a stigma placed on men; it's simply a facet. After all, what is or isn't on top of a man's head does not make the man. Some of the “best looking men” are those who are completely comfortable in their own skin — with their bodies, personality, and whether they have hair or not.

If anything, having less hair on top of one's head takes the focus off of that physical aspect and draws attention to other attributes, including eyes (the windows into a person's soul some might say) and smile (the best way to establish a connection with someone else). Any woman who only wants a man with a full head of hair probably isn't worth knowing in the first place. It's like a man saying he only wants to date a woman with enormous breasts.
Plunger head

Here are 5 Reasons why it's good to be bald:

1. Less money spent on haircuts. With economic downturns and pitfalls, it's always good to save a couple of bucks. Plus, you won't have to spend money on hair products, hair dryers, or even flat irons (You know who you are). Also, for those who dye their hair, there's no need to shell out the dough for those products any more, either. In the end, you'll save more than just the money you would spend on a haircut.

2. Less time spent grooming. It's one less thing to worry about before you walk out the door. No need to look in the mirror and adjust your hair. You know exactly what you look like from day to day. You might even want to groom less starting now. There's a myth that brushing your hair 100 times will make it grow faster. Actually, if you groom and comb your hair too much, this can make hair follicles fall out!

3. It works for Ed Harris, Anthony Edwards, Mark Messier, Bruce Willis, and Andre Agassi. All of these men have rocked the balding look and succeeded. Ed Harris has been nominated for numerous Academy Awards. Anthony Edwards had a good run on E.R. Quite possibly, Mark Messier reinvented baldness by giving the look a chiseled and menacing side. Frankly, Bruce Willis would look weird with hair. And Andre Agassi won eight Grand Slam single tournaments. Plus, he was married to Brooke Shields.

4. No more bedhead and/or hat hair. If you shower before you sleep, you don't have to wake up with the back of your hair standing up like Yahoo Serious. You also no longer have to worry the next time you want to wear a hat. Most ball caps will fit better when you have no hair.

5. You get more head! You already have a great built-in pick-up line. You could also add that the chemical DHT is a powerful sex hormone, and you've just got too much sex in the head.

Even though baldness is genetic, many times it can be caused by other contributing factors. One way in which to prevent going bald is to eat right. Malnutrition has a definite link to losing one's hair, with diets low in iron and protein as leading causes.

If you can't prevent the incoming baldness that is barreling down the age train track, try to at least be accepting of it. Baldness is just something that goes with life like death, taxes, and the Cubs not winning a pennant.  At least with balding, you won't be ashamed to wear a Cubs cap.

Megan McLachlan

Megan McLachlan currently resides in the Pittsburgh area where she freelance writes, drinks coffee, and obsesses over popular culture. She was an English major, but doesn't think she wasted her life. Yet. Her blog is megoblog.com.