And my journey begins...

[danny_s]

I still have mixed feelings, but it's incredibly liberating to not worry about my hair. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata late March when I developed sudden bald patches. It started with one half-dollar sized patch which quickly turned to four, each one smaller than the previous one. I was constantly trying to cover the big one but ignored the other 3 as they were on the back of my head. It was a constant struggle and quite frankly taking a toll on me--until late last afternoon.

I went to get haircut as I had done before to clean up my hair, and to my dismay the stylist cut too much on top which made concealing it futile. I came home and quickly got over it and knew what I had to do. Interestingly, I've been to the board while researching MPB since it runs in my family. At 28, I haven't experienced any significant hair loss but decided long ago that I would go sly immediately if I started losing my hair. Wasn't expecting AA, but I was mentally prepared so to speak.

I went out last night and it went surprisingly well, which was totally unexpected. It feels great not worrying about if my patch is showing. I have dark hair, so you can see where the patches where since it's completely bald. I feel like myself again, sans hair of course. I was actually surprised my head wasn't too pale as I've seen some people have a sharp contrast when they freshly shave their head. I feel I'll look better with some stubble/facial hair, so I'll have to wait for it to grow in since I shaved that in the morning in anticipation of my haircut.

What has me worried the most is going to the office Monday morning. I'm not sure what to expect, but until then it's off to buy new clothes,get a little sun on my new head, and get used to the new look.

[mrzed]

Ah, you are going to like it.

Looks good on you. 

[Laser Man]

The look suits you! 

It's normal to have some anxiety about going back to work with your new "hairstyle."  As most of us have experienced, you'll get a few comments then things go back to normal because everyone is busy and life goes on.  You'll have the same anxiety just before any "first" time, e.g., first time at an extended family gathering, first time seeing friends you haven't seen in a while.  As far as meeting new people or strangers, remember they have no image of you as anything other than sly, so it's really pretty easy.  By this time next week, being sly will start to feel very normal for you.

Enjoy your new look and freedom!

[slybeard]

Congratulations on taking control of your situation.  I made a similar decision early on to shave as soon as I started thinning, and for me I was in my 40's before I noticed the thinning.  But I always knew what I would do, so it was almost like "its about time" when I shaved.

[Sir Harry]

Welcome!, Looks natural, and it looks good regardless of whether on not you grow facial hair.

[wpruitt]

Looks good!

[nuts]

The smile says it all.  Great look.  Keep working on the facial hair.

[Johannes]

Looks good on you.

[Dragon]

There are many roads to slyness, looks good on you mate

[amatlock2778]

I too made the decision to shave if i ever started losing my hair. However in my case it didnt come to that. Instead i shaved for something different after a really bad year, and also because a few gray hairs had begun to show. Not obvious, but they were there, and I wanted to avoid having to deal with that if/when it did become obvious as i felt i was too young still to have grey hair. But anyway, i think deciding to shave if hair loss becomes an issue before it ever does is a great thing, wish more guys would do it. Shaved sly is a much better look than trying to hide obvious bald spots. Congrats to you for doing it. You look great, and u seem to be happy to have done it

[tobler1]

Good , brave  choice . Enjoy  not  worrying  about  further  bad  hair  days .

[danny_s]

Thanks everyone!

It's been so far not worrying anymore. Today should be an interesting day however since it'll be the first time they all see my new look. But it'll be amazing to simply jump in the pool and swim without worry. I've been avoiding swimming so far--and really some other activities--due to my patches, and feel free now.

[Laser Man]

Going sly gives a great sense of liberation - you stop worrying about getting your head wet when you swim; you don't worry about windy days, you don't worry about "hat hair".  In short, you no longer have concerns about mussed up hair.  However you do have to worry about getting a sunburn!

Let us know how your first day at work as a sly guy went. 

[Lew]

What has me worried the most is going to the office Monday morning. I'm not sure what to expect, but until then it's off to buy new clothes,get a little sun on my new head, and get used to the new look.


I know how you feel.  I went sly last month and I had some anxiety about how my coworkers and students would react when I showed up that first Monday without any hair.  It went surprisingly well.  The great thing is after a few weeks you won't even be self-conscious about being bald.  It's a great feeling.

The bald look suits you well.  Congratulations!

[danny_s]

So the past two days have been....surprisingly uneventful.

My sister and brother-in-law said it looked great. My parents were surprised and other family members really didn't say much, other than someone asking me why.

No one at work really said anything, other than a quip about joining the army. There are actually a few sly guys that I've never noticed before Friday, which just goes to show that I was making it a bigger deal than it actually was.

It feels great not having to worry about hair and having to check if my patch is showing. My facial hair is coming in nicely and since I've always shaved, I'll need to see how to grow it out. It's barely the 4th day, but I'm slowly embracing my new look.