The first time you realised you were going bald

[Wesk]

So I've been hovering over this board for a while now, and I haven't seen a thread discussing the beginnings of going bald or if you had a full head of hair, why did you become sly?

I must've been about 17 where a few off comments were made about my hair, but I never took them into too much consideration. Should my [then longer] hair be a bit greasy/sweaty [from sports etc] my scalp could be seen through my hair. I knew this but didn't think about it much, as from a young age I've always had fine hair and I didn't mind too much. These comments just got a bit too often for my liking and I was in full denial about the full extent of my shedding. One day, when I was 19 [I remember as clear as day] I plucked up the courage to investigate by angling a hand mirror at the top of my head and revealed a thinned crown area. I was devestated. It hit my confidence hard, and I never was the most confident guy in the world. It was during this time I'd got myself a new girlfriend [who I'm still with] and I genuinely believe had I known my hair was so thin I wouldn't have had the courage to approach her. To cut it short [no pun intended], she's made it clear she doesn't care about my hair and she wants me to do whatever makes me happy. Reading other stories [not from this forum] I've noticed the trend of men of all ages think that losing hair is a major turn off. And I must admit, I am not fully comfortable with my image, hence my imminent head shaving.

And this is one of the few cases where I think I've looked up to celebrities, where they show off their domes with pride. Such people include: Sean Connery, Bruce Willis, Andre Agassi, Billy Zane, Karl Pilkington and my personal hero Patrick Stewart [From a little town joined onto my home town and the challencor of my local Uni]. Also, all these people are good looking, handsome blokes who apparently have not been hindered by MPB. I believe I'm in that vital stage where I'm about to actually be comfortable with my hair and not constantly worrying about people behind me and thinking if they're looking at my thinned out crown. When the head shaving comes into play, I have a good feeling it'll make me more confident and accepting.

I knew I'd end up blabbering, so I'll get to the point  . I just wanted a thread to see how other people first found out/reacted to going bald and why, if you had a full of head of hair, did you decide to go sly. Also, what has going sly done for your confidence and how you percieve yourself? To round it off, I genuinely believe I am not a shallow person, and I never judge a book by its cover.

I look forward to reading the replies! 

[bem75]

I had a great head of hair, growing up.  My father called it a "bear's butt" because you could part the hair and not see any scalp.  I had a lot of hair.  When I was about 23, I was at a conference in a lecture hall and a guy came up behind me and said "hey man, getting a little thin up top."  That was the first time that anyone had every said anything to me about losing my hair.  I spent the next few years checking my growing bald spot in the mirror.

I really started noticing the hair loss around age 30.  So, I started using Rogaine.  That actually helped, but after a few years of using it, I started getting worried about the long term affects of putting chemicals on my head.  So, I looked in to Propecia.  That is when I found this site.

This site really helped me to accept losing my hair.  After shaving, I felt a freedom and confidence that I had not felt in a long time.  It was, and still is, a very cool feeling.

I have stopped using Rogaine and I never did take Propecia (side affects are way too scary for me.)  Since stopping the Rogaine, the hair loss has rapidly accelerated.  However, now I love being bald.  So, it worked out pretty nicely.

Almost everyone that I know says that I look better with a shaved head.  So, that helps too.  I get more attention from ladies (even though I'm married) and men seem to give me a little more respect (probably the added intimidation factor.)

Looking back, I wish that I had shaved my head a long time ago.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

she's made it clear she doesn't care about my hair and she wants me to do whatever makes me happy. * * * I believe I'm in that vital stage where I'm about to actually be comfortable with my hair and not constantly worrying about people behind me and thinking if they're looking at my thinned out crown. When the head shaving comes into play, I have a good feeling it'll make me more confident and accepting.

I look forward to reading the replies! 

It's clear that when the 17th day of July, 2009 arrives, you'll be Sly by sunset.  What you're going to find is that like almost everyone else it doesn't matter to a whole lot of people, and the others will either like it or not.  It really doesn't matter.   If, after you get over the "Who's the dude in the mirror?" part, and the wonderful numbness of the freshly shaved noggin, you don't like it shiney [we do suggest you keep it shaved daily for a month] you can let it grow out to whatever length makes the one person who matters happy.  That person is you, you live with it 24/7/365, so it's  your choice.  I think, based on what you've said so far, you're going to like it. 
P.S.  I had thin, fine hair too, and it was a pain in the a__, to keep in place.  Then it started going away on its own, and finally, much too late I must say, I got rid of the remainder. 
PPS See you on the Sly Side.

[SlyHigh]

I was looking for an excuse to go sly, so when it started to be noticeably thin last year, I did the deed.

[slyatlast]

Sometime in my mid-20's.  Hair loss happened very gradually - finally went sly at 52.  That's almost 25 years of avoiding the inevitable. 

[adam_r_todd]

I remember walking past a mirrored building and seeing my reflection.  I couldn't believe it was me.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was balding!  I tried to fight it for a few years.  It was pointless.   

I am so glad I went sly.  It changed my life.  I truly think I look better bald.  Some people (including my wife) disagree.  But I can honestly say that I'm happy with the way I look and I am no longer worried about my appearance.  That's huge. 

[SBG Math Guy]

There have been a few threads on this topic in the past.
Most the guys here don't focus too much on that "first time" they realized
they were going bald for one of 2 reasons.
(1)  They don't care losing hair.  It's not even an issue for many of the guys here.
(2) They were not happy to learn they were losing hair, but that life became great
      after they started shaving their head. 

There is a website with an entire section on people giving their stories about how losing hair ruined their life, that they have lost all interest in life.
Here the guys want to focus more on baldness being a minor issue or not an issue at all.   This is how it should be.

If you look at all the difficulties facing people in this life, there will be millions of people who would love to be losing their hair instead of the hardship they are going through.
So, count your blessings and enjoy life.