PrintMaking Sense of Hair Loss
Getting your head round MPHL - the psychological impact of hair loss
Hair loss affects every man differently. Many men simply accept it as a fact of life and barely give it a second thought. Others are mildly concerned that they are losing their hair and are keen to disguise the effects or slow the process if possible. But for some men, hair loss can be a genuine source of distress and can have a significant impact on self-esteem.11For some men, hair loss is quite stressful.11 Balding men can experience a range of psychological effects, including self-consciousness, anxiety that the hair loss will progress, worries about ageing and feeling less attractive.11 In a survey of men in five European countries, almost two-thirds (62%) of participants considered that hair loss can affect self-esteem, 59% believed that hair loss makes men look older and more than half (53%) felt that hair loss can make men feel insecure.5
Baldness has long been regarded as a topic worthy of derision.12 In the past, there was little sympathy for men who were losing their hair and those who took steps to try and disguise their hair loss were often ridiculed or considered vain. Worrying about hair loss is by no means a recent obsession. The search for a cure for baldness goes back at least 5,000 years and remedies are described in the papyri of ancient Egypt.7 Now, attitudes are changing and men are taking a greater interest in their appearance, as evidenced by the major growth in male grooming products.19 Taking an interest in your appearance is accepted as perfectly normal.
Treatments are available that have been clinically proven to halt, or even reverse, hair loss - it need no longer be regarded as an inevitable part of the ageing process. If your hair loss is worrying you, speak to a trichologist, pharmacist or your doctor.
Provided as a service to patients by Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited