Baldness: A Hair-raising Problem

Bothered by baldness? There’s an organization for you! It’s called the Bald Headed Men of America and it’s open to “qualified” persons who have lost their hair.

Founded in 1974 by John T. Capps III, this special club is based in North Carolina and boasts of over ...Bothered by baldness? There’s an organization for you! It’s called the Bald Headed Men of America and it’s open to “qualified” persons who have lost their hair.

Founded in 1974 by John T. Capps III, this special club is based in North Carolina and boasts of over 200,000 members. Club members believe “the best cure for bald headed men is to laugh about it, promote it, flaunt it, and remind others that the Lord made millions and millions of heads and those He didn’t like, He covered up.”

A lot of bald headed people appear to be taking that advice pretty well. In Hollywood, for instance, celebrities like Sean Connery, Patrick Stewart, and Bruce Willis ooze with sex appeal and continue to make blockbuster movies in spite of their lost hair.

For most people, however, baldness is a hair-raising problem that currently affects 40 million men and 20 million women in the United States alone. Few are prepared to part with their crowning glory and that has made anti-baldness schemes a $1 billion-a-year industry. The reason for this thriving industry is simple. A US study says men feel less attractive when they start losing hair. Bald people are generally seen as less alluring and look older than they really are which explains why people will do anything to hold onto their hair.

The sudden loss of hair can be very distressing since some men associate a full head of hair with virility and youth. So if their hairline recedes, they may feel robbed of their youth and masculinity.

The importance of hair was evident even in Biblical times where it was considered the seat of a person’s physical and moral strength. In Judges 16:17, Samson told Delilah that his strength came from his hair and “if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I will become weak.”

In Second Samuel 14:25-26, Absalom was praised for his beauty, especially his fair complexion and thick hair. Whenever he cut his hair every year, it weighed 200 shekels or as heavy as the king himself.

Famous saints associated with hair are Martin de Porres, a favorite of Italian hairdressers, and the twin brothers Cosmas and Damian. These examples show that hair was valued more than any other part of the body.

That same concern can be seen today. Many people spend hours cleaning, cutting, styling and “nourishing” their hair with various substances - all in an attempt to preserve it and make it attractive. What they don’t know is that hair is a dead structure and most of what is applied to it has little or no effect at all.

Hair is made of keratin, a protein found in nails and the outer layer of the skin. The part that rises out of the skin is called the hair shaft. The average head normally contains about 100,000 hairs, with brunettes having as much as 155,000 hairs and redheads, 85,000 hairs.

The living part of the hair is the hair root which is found beneath the skin. This is the part that grows and pushes the dead hair shaft out of the skin. Surrounding each hair root is the hair follicle. The number of hair follicles is determined before birth and this, in turn, determines the number of hairs a person will have. The two types of hair are terminal, meaning very long, thick and easily visible hair; and vellus or tiny, fine, almost unnoticeable hair.

Each hair follicle undergoes repeated cycles of active growth and rest. The three stages in the follicular cycle are the anagen or growth phase, the catagen or transition phase, and the telogen or resting phase during which hair is shed.

On a normal adult scalp, 80 – 95 percent of hair follicles are in the anagen phase while the remainder is in the telogen phase. The catagen phase which runs for 3 - 4 weeks affects less than one percent of hair.

When hair falls off faster than it is replaced, that’s when baldness begins. This can either be temporary or permanent. In any case, baldness can make you less attractive and older than you really are. That’s why it’s important to care for your hair. To complement your hair, don’t forget to care for your face too. You can do this with the help of Dermaxin, a popular skin cream that contains special ingredients to reduce fine lines and wrinkles by as much as 45 percent. Dermaxin repairs and rejuvenates the skin so you'll look young, fresh, and wrinkle-free! It's your best defense against the signs of aging. Check out http://tinyurl.com/8jkw6ma for more information.