Early vs. Late-Onset MPB

[Diesel_Power]

Guys I'm 21 and have  receding hairline. But one thing I've noticed from being at college is that there are a lot of guys between the ages of 20-25 who are experiencing MPB.

Out of me and 4 of my closest friends from school, 3 out of 5 of us have receding hairlines. One guy worst than me and he's growing his hair back out. Don't have the heart to tell him he shouldn't.

But here's a counter argument to what a lot of guys are saying that they wish they were older before MPB kicked in. If your in a marriage or been in a long term relationship and originally met for g/f, spouse, etc. with a head full of hair. How do you know whether she'll take to you being bald kindly or not when MPB finlly does kick in? What if she liked your hair a lot?

Now that I'm young and slick women can see what they get. They're not in for and nasty surprises.

[Stu]

Guys I'm 21 and have  receding hairline. But one thing I've noticed from being at college is that there are a lot of guys between the ages of 20-25 who are experiencing MPB.

Out of me and 4 of my closest friends from school, 3 out of 5 of us have receding hairlines. One guy worst than me and he's growing his hair back out. Don't have the heart to tell him he shouldn't.

But here's a counter argument to what a lot of guys are saying that they wish they were older before MPB kicked in. If your in a marriage or been in a long term relationship and originally met for g/f, spouse, etc. with a head full of hair. How do you know whether she'll take to you being bald kindly or not when MPB finlly does kick in? What if she liked your hair a lot?

Now that I'm young and slick women can see what they get. They're not in for and nasty surprises.

Good point... you'll know that women who are attracted to you do so because of you, and not your hair.  Either that, or they are just really turned on by slick dudes. 

[Vin]

Guys I'm 21 and have  receding hairline. But one thing I've noticed from being at college is that there are a lot of guys between the ages of 20-25 who are experiencing MPB.

Out of me and 4 of my closest friends from school, 3 out of 5 of us have receding hairlines. One guy worst than me and he's growing his hair back out. Don't have the heart to tell him he shouldn't.

But here's a counter argument to what a lot of guys are saying that they wish they were older before MPB kicked in. If your in a marriage or been in a long term relationship and originally met for g/f, spouse, etc. with a head full of hair. How do you know whether she'll take to you being bald kindly or not when MPB finlly does kick in? What if she liked your hair a lot?

Now that I'm young and slick women can see what they get. They're not in for and nasty surprises.

That's interesting about the younger guys losing their hair more.  At least you are not alone.

When it comes to marriage, I hope you would know your potential wife pretty well and well enough to know if she is that superficial.  I doubt that any women who had a couple kids with a good, decent man who was a good father would give up her family because her husband developed a receding hairline or thinning hair.  As you get older women look for a lot of other things aside from hair.  Hairloss for a guy in a 10 plus year marriage is the same as a women getting some lines and wrinkles.  It's just one those things that you accept and look past as they are very minor and natural aging flaws.

Nevermind a few hairs, god forbid if you were ever in an accident and lost a limb or a were badly scarred etc. the same would apply - love in a marriage is unconditional, or at least should be.

[Razor X]

[

When it comes to marriage, I hope you would know your potential wife pretty well and well enough to know if she is that superficial.  I doubt that any women who had a couple kids with a good, decent man who was a good father would give up her family because her husband developed a receding hairline or thinning hair.  As you get older women look for a lot of other things aside from hair.  Hairloss for a guy in a 10 plus year marriage is the same as a women getting some lines and wrinkles.  It's just one those things that you accept and look past as they are very minor and natural aging flaws.

You're absolutely correct, Vin, but along the lines of the original point -- your future wife can't complain about your shaved head if it was already shaved when she met you.  So I guess that's one advantage to going bald at an earlier age.

[Razor X]

But here's a counter argument to what a lot of guys are saying that they wish they were older before MPB kicked in. If your in a marriage or been in a long term relationship and originally met for g/f, spouse, etc. with a head full of hair. How do you know whether she'll take to you being bald kindly or not when MPB finlly does kick in? What if she liked your hair a lot?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is probably not a common problem.   When it comes to aging issues, I think women have it rougher than we do.  We have to deal with hair loss, but they tend to be more prone to wrinkles and weight gain, and as such are probably going to be more forgiving toward a balding husband.  And let's face it, a lot of men dump their wives for younger women, but you don't very often hear about women dumping their husbands for younger men.  Not saying that it never happens, but on an anectodal level at least, it appears to be less common.

[AdamzHedz]

Marz,

Your last sentence was perfect.

Adam

[jmcmana]

Here's how I see it, there is good and bad to both. If you go through it early like I have it's pretty difficult because even though more and more people are losing their hair earlier, it's still not the 'norm', and it can be pretty difficult when you see people older than you with much more hair. It also is difficult because girls our age aren't used to having 'the bald guy' hit on them. However, a plus to losing it early is that I still feel like I can reinvent myself, therefore shaving my head may be a change, but in the grand scheme it's not all that big. I think it would be tough to go through MPB at an older age because I would feel more and more like I was becoming older. Finally, I think it would be ok to deal with when you are older because you are already a more established person/identity, and looks don't matter as much to the opposite sex, and also experiencing it as an older man, you most likely have friends who will sympathize more and probly friends who are farther along than you, basically there are more people in your situation, so there isn't as much of an alone feeling. Just my thoughts on it -

[shyslyguy]

Hey great discussion guys & you make some interesting points Razor. I'd never really thought about it like that. However, speaking as someone who lost their hair at a pretty early age I still think if I had the choice, if I am being honest, I would have preferred to have had a few more years before having to deal with the whole mpb issue. Part of what made it difficult was the feeling of being very alone in what was happening. I knew of no other people my age who were experiencing anything similar & that made it a difficult & traumatic experience. Having said that, now... at 45 I tend to think how incredibly lucky I am that the worst thing that's happened to me thus far is that I started losing my hair at age 20.

In the wider scheme of things I'd say that's pretty good going & I suspect that if I was only now just beginning to lose my hair in my 40's although I'd undoubtedly not be pleased about it, hopefully I would have a better sense of perspective about it than I did at 20.

One last thing... Diesel Power mentioned that more guys seem to be losing their hair earlier these days. I am not sure that that's true or even how you could quantify that statement. but assuming for a moment that it is ... I was wondering why that might be? Any suggestions anyone?

Cheers J. 

[Vin]

Hey shyslyguy, good question and as I recall reading from an evolutionary standpoint, mates in general are selected for genetic worth.  The fact that one can be genetically predisposed to baldness suggests that losing one's hair has (or in this case, had) some form of evolutionary advantage.  A physical trait that boasts of some genetic edge is more likely to spread throughout a species.  Thus, the spread of MPB increases as we evolve but at a rate that we are probably unlikely to notice in our lifetime.  It is only modern civilization that has casted MPB as a negative.  It was most likely a favoured trait many, many years ago.

Some theorists say that a bald head may have indicated a man's advanced stage of physical and social maturity. This could have encouraged increased status in a social group as well as less aggressive behavior from other males, as the bald man is visibly past the threatening stage of high sexual activity, and perhaps more likely to be a nurturer to younger groups as well.

It's an interesting subject.

[Marz]

Humans have become less and less hairy over time... we dont need hair to keep us warm anymore so I imagine that our body adapts.

[Vin]

That is a good point, but the odd thing is that a lot of guys with advanced hairloss are actually hairier then those without hairloss (body hair etc.).

It is also interesting to note that a number of other primate species also experience hair loss following puberty, and some primate species clearly use an enlarged forehead, created both anatomically and through strategies such as frontal balding, to convey increased status and maturity.



Someone should tell him to go sly 

[zzaapp]

You're absolutely correct, Vin, but along the lines of the original point -- your future wife can't complain about your shaved head if it was already shaved when she met you.  So I guess that's one advantage to going bald at an earlier age.

I don't know about that...  ...remember the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine fell for a sly guy after she saw a picture of him with hair.  She convinced him to grow his hair out and dumped him when they both discovered that while he had been shaving his head for several years, he had gone bald???

I've known some women (and men too) who were that shallow.

There is more to being a couple than that.  Love develops a deep appreciation for a mate's intelect, personality and passion.  If you don't have that it's all just superficial.

[Razor X]

One last thing... Diesel Power mentioned that more guys seem to be losing their hair earlier these days. I am not sure that that's true or even how you could quantify that statement. but assuming for a moment that it is ... I was wondering why that might be? Any suggestions anyone?

Cheers J. 

It does seem like there more guys going bald at a younger age, but I don't know if it's quantifiable.  I remember when I was a kid it seemed like only really old men were bald.  But maybe it's my definition what a really old man is that's changed.   

I have read that girls are hitting puberty at younger ages nowadays.  I don't know why.  But if men are losing their hair younger, perhaps it's for the same reason.  Perhaps it's environmental, or perhaps people mature more quickly due to improved nutrition, medical care, etc. 

[yep_yep]

God never gives you more than you can handle... although his timing could be better.

Too bad I don't believe in God, never have never will. 

]One last thing... Diesel Power mentioned that more guys seem to be losing their hair earlier these days. I am not sure that that's true or even how you could quantify that statement. but assuming for a moment that it is ... I was wondering why that might be? Any suggestions anyone?

Yeah I've noticed the same and I think that the bad western diet could have something to do with it. Everything comes fat-ripped but is chock-full of carbohydrates, sugar and saturated fat. The body needs natural fat (from fish, meat etc.) more than it needs those 3.

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

But here's a counter argument to what a lot of guys are saying that they wish they were older before MPB kicked in. If your in a marriage or been in a long term relationship and originally met for g/f, spouse, etc. with a head full of hair. How do you know whether she'll take to you being bald kindly or not when MPB finlly does kick in? What if she liked your hair a lot?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this is probably not a common problem.   When it comes to aging issues, I think women have it rougher than we do.  We have to deal with hair loss, but they tend to be more prone to wrinkles and weight gain, and as such are probably going to be more forgiving toward a balding husband.  And let's face it, a lot of men dump their wives for younger women, but you don't very often hear about women dumping their husbands for younger men.  Not saying that it never happens, but on an anectodal level at least, it appears to be less common.

I'm not so sure about that.  There are a lot of "maturing" boomer ladies experiencing hair loss--look carefully at the 50-60 set.  You'll see a lot of the ladies with a Friar (or it should be Prioress) Tuck(lette) spot.  I remember a woman in NO, since dead, that had a full shiny runway, and the tresses on the side and rear  carefully arranged as though she had the top!  She didn't have any medical causes, just genetics.  I think they have the problem, not men because except for an extremely rare instance they don't have the Sly option at this time--Brittany showed that it is't always accepted even in the fast lane as a general matter.  It seems for the ladies it's always late onset, but even that is too early.  I have wondered if my wife's continuing dislike, after 7 weeks, could be partially based on a small hole that she carefully covers.  I know that is why she rarely rides in my convertible.  I don't want to start WWIII by even bringing it up, she's a red head and she has a FIREY temper that seems to run with the breed.