Welcome Brasspower! Here you will certainly find people of all ages with the same thing your are going through. Mine started when I was 18 and I am 27 now. I started off with a #3 buzz cut (it was a misunderstanding with the barber) and kept going shorter till I got to the shortest setting on the buzzers. I still have yet to keep my head completely shaved, but I want to try the 30 day challenge soon! I would not say that all the guys with the horse shoe are desperately trying to hold on to what they have. I think those guys are the ones with the comb-over! There is a guy at my work that has the horse shoe and actually has a tattoo on the back of his head with a guy pushing a lawnmower, just above the hairline! That is some one who is comfortable with his baldness!