Did you recently look in the mirror only to discover that you don’t have as much hair as you used too? Many men go through this during their lifetime. Here’s how to tell whether you are actually losing your hair or the mirror is just playing tricks on you.
Check the shower drain
Everyone has to clean hair out of their shower drain. However, if you’ve cleaned the drain recently and notice that there’s a lot of hair in there, that’s one of the signs of balding. Another telltale sign is if you are noticing a lot more hair in your brush or comb than you have in the past.
Take a picture
It’s probably difficult to really inspect your hair, especially the back of your head. One way you can look for signs of balding is to take a picture of the area where you suspect hair loss. You can easily do this with you phone. Just make sure you use the flash so that you can see the area very clearly. This method is generally better than just trying to see the back of your head with two mirrors because it’s often very difficult to adjust the mirrors to clearly see what’s going on back there.
Ask someone
If you have a friend that you really trust, ask them if they have noticed your hair looking thinner lately. If you feel comfortable, have them inspect your head to see if there are any bald patches or areas where the hair looks thinner than others. If you aren’t comfortable asking a friend, turn to your hairdresser for their opinion. They have probably seen thousands of heads in their lifetime and will be more than willing to give you their honest opinion. Your hairdresser might even be able to give you some advice about your current hair situation.
Talk to your doctor
If you are concerned about hair loss you can always talk to your doctor. He will examine your scalp and may even run some tests. For the most part, these procedures are noninvasive and they may be able to determine not only if you are experiencing hair loss, but why it is occurring.
What you can do about balding
If you are experiencing balding, there is hope. Medications like Finasteride and Minoxidil have shown positive results in many men. They don’t rebuild hair, but they can keep more hair loss from occurring. There are also surgical procedures available to restore hair. Basically, hair follicles are removed from one area of the scalp where there is a lot of hair. Then the hair follicles are surgically implanted in areas of the scalp where there is significant hair loss. Other options for dealing with balding including, just living with it, getting a taupe or shaving the entire head.
There are many reasons why men might experience hair loss. The first step is to determine if you are actually losing hair. If you are, luckily, you do have a few options to help you deal with hair loss.
