two concerns

[Professor Melon]

  Ahoy Captain Tyler and crew! It's great to be free of the fear of others' censure. Two concerns remain, one merely cosmetic, the other deeper, more subtle, and enduring. The first: even when I achieve a perfect, glasslike shave of the dome to the touch, the shadow remains visually. When I compare my new look to Dr. Keith Ablow's, the difference is apparent. If I don't shave for two or three days, my noggin begins to look like No. IV or No. V on the standard male pattern baldness charts. Either Ablow has natural white/blonde hair or he uses some kind of make-up to achieve evenness. What gives here? The second: I still do not identify completely with my new reflection in the mirror. Is this merely a matter of time? When my wife of 35 years caresses my pate (I don't have to ask her!), especially right after shaving, something starts happening in the crotch. It's better than Viagra and all natural, and I can tell you that from experience. We haven't had this kind of visceral thing for some years. What's going on? Also, if you're going to take the time and care to shave properly, this inclines you to more self-respect and discipline. Yet I love beer and occasional gluttony, and there's a connection with total baldness there too. Any insight or parallels, guys? What a fantastic adventure!Professor Melon, on board

[Robmeister]

Professor,

I haven't yet shaved, but I have the same concern about the blueish shadow.  I borrowed this answer from another forum that specifically addresses this issue (Grooming/Care > Miscellaneous > The Shady Shadow).  You can go there for the full discussion.  But here's the part that enlightened me most.  It's from member seanc7nyc

---------------------------------------------

Not sure if this will work for you, but I'm a pale Irishman and after i shaved my head I had the shadow.  I bought this product by Olay that is a lotion, and contains a very minimal amount of sunless tanning ingredients...

It blended my shadow in nicely.  It's not even meant for the head, it's a body cream.  I exfoliated, then applied a thin amount to my entire head and neck, with a little extra in the shadow area.   

[Professor Melon]

  Dear  Robmeister: Thanks for the tip; I'll log on and try the stuff. The shadow kind of defeats the purpose and effort of close shaving.The celebs--Ablow, Todd Greene,  Stewart, etc.--seem not to have this problem. Professor Melon

[Robmeister]

I'm quite sure that it's sorta like the nude beach thing....first time out, yer gonna have definite tan lines....after a lot of exposure, the tan lines go away for a nice even tan.  First time out can be mitigated with some self tanning lotion.

By the way, Professor, I love your learned and articulate sense of humor 

[Tyler]

The first: even when I achieve a perfect, glasslike shave of the dome to the touch, the shadow remains visually. When I compare my new look to Dr. Keith Ablow's, the difference is apparent. If I don't shave for two or three days, my noggin begins to look like No. IV or No. V on the standard male pattern baldness charts. Either Ablow has natural white/blonde hair or he uses some kind of make-up to achieve evenness. What gives here?

Wow, those are some great questions!

So, here I go with my opinions/answers:

In regards to your shadow, that's probably the toughest question of all because I really think it depends on your skin tone and hair color.  It will be more prevalent when you first shave your head and probably more in the winter when you don't get as much sun; if you have pale skin.  I'm lucky because I have a light olive tone to my skin (thanks to my Portuguese blood) that helps cover up the shadow.  When you get in the sun a little more (keep gardening  ) I think you will notice that it will help relieve the shadow by lightening the hair and darkening the skin.  Just make sure to adequately protect your new clean dome when in the sun with sunscreen.

I have an email address for one of the producers at the Dr. Keith Ablow show, so I will email her and see if she'll let us know his secret.    Keep an eye on this thread from HappyHarry as he posed the same question.  Robmeister also pointed you here.  http://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/index.php?topic=128.msg461#msg461

The second: I still do not identify completely with my new reflection in the mirror. Is this merely a matter of time?

  Yeah, give it time.  It's like a new car where you still want to look at it everytime you pass by the window, but eventually it will be the same car you're used to seeing.

When my wife of 35 years caresses my pate (I don't have to ask her!), especially right after shaving, something starts happening in the crotch. It's better than Viagra and all natural, and I can tell you that from experience. We haven't had this kind of visceral thing for some years. What's going on?

Ah yes, the ever so loved "head rub!!!"  We have a whole topic devoted to this at http://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/index.php?topic=13.0.  I don't know what the physical or psychological reactions that occur are when a guy's bald head is rubbed, or how and why it makes us feel so good down stairs, but it is probably one of the best advantages to being bald and shaving your head.  I'll try to do some research to find the answers to this question from a medical/scientific standpoint. 

My guess is that there are nerve endings in the scalp that are attached to the same area of the brain/nervous system that the nerves from the genetialia also stimulate.  Or it could be a emotional/psycological reaction to how your wife now reacts to your new look; possibly the same way she used to react to you early on in your relationship.

It sounds like you have a new found confidence with this look.  If this is true, you can expect that both men and women will now react differently to you.  It is quite the adventure!

Also, if you're going to take the time and care to shave properly, this inclines you to more self-respect and discipline. Yet I love beer and occasional gluttony, and there's a connection with total baldness there too. Any insight or parallels, guys?

  I think this also has to do with having more confidence in yourself.  I have found that when I feel good about myself I'm more inclined to go to the gym, start eating right, dressing better, etc.  This ends up building on the confidence that you already had.  I've heard that there are parallels to hairloss and diet and exercise, but from what I've found in many sources that it's still mostly genetic.