Bald with hearing aids???

[blondbaldur]

Hi Guys,

I'm brand new to this forum, but have something to ask I've been thinking about a while.

My hair is really beginning to thin out on the top. I've kept it shaggy for years, and now it's actually about shoulder length. It's getting to the point that it doesn't look too bad, but not that good either. It's receded a good bit on the front and I have a nice bald spot toward the back.

But I also wear hearing aids in both ears; they are the kind that fit behind the ears with earmolds in the ears. It's not that I'm ashamed or embarrased to wear them, but with my hair covering them, it makes them less noticeable. It's just that I don't like new people I meet assuming I'm deaf and screaming at me, or assuming I'm deficient in some kind of way. I can hear nearly normally with them. The small newer kinds of hearing aids that fit in your ears and aren't visible aren't an option.

Has anyone had any experience like this? What should I do? I think a bald head would be cool, but then the ha's would be so obvious and noticeable.

[R o b 6]

Welcome to SBG Blondbaldur. I wouldn't worry about it too much...consider how many people are walking around with visible Bluetooth devices in their ears all day long and in public! Actually some people consider them deficient because it seems like they're talking to themselves.

[Stu]

Welcome to the forum.  The way that you're describing your hair doesn't sound too attractive, so shaving your head appears to be in order.  Part of the 'attractiveness' of shaving is the attitude change most people experience.  The empowering feeling you get makes you say 'screw everyone, it's my life.'  You'll experience a boost of confidence.  Maybe it's just me, but I don't give a second thought to people who wear hearing aids.  I assume they need it, and that's that... just like people who wear glasses... you need them; you wear them.  If people have a problem with it, well, that's their problem.  Those people would probably find fault with just about everything.  Let us know what you decide, and post up a pic.

[Brkeatr]

Welcome to the Forum !!   

I agree with Stu, most people don't care whether you have hearing aids or not. I don't think you should let that stop you from shaving the noggin. I see people all the time with hearing aids and I don't give it a second thought. I agree with Rob also, about the bluetooth, I think that people walking around with them all day look ridiculous.

[marty22]

howdy..put up a pic and we will comment fair and square. If you need to have them whether you're bald or not, you need to have them. Going bald shouldnt' matter.

[wpruitt]

Bro - I think you just posed a first !  I don't see it as being any different from a Bluetooth.  Go for it and see how it looks.  It's hair.  If you do not like the look you can grow it back.  Happy Christmas!

[tomgallagher]

Welcome aboard dude. Sounds like you will look a lot beter with a shaved head. Make yourself happy and tell the others to piss off.

[marshd1000]

There are people who have had hair transplants that didn't work out who ended up shaving their head.  If those people can shave their head with some scars, then wearing a hearing aid should be a piece of cake!

[Razor X]

There are people who have had hair transplants that didn't work out who ended up shaving their head.  If those people can shave their head with some scars, then wearing a hearing aid should be a piece of cake!

Excellent point, Marsh. 

[Razor X]

Just another thought:  we're all our own worst critics when it comes to cosmetic flaws, whether they are real or just perceived.  We've seen that in several threads on this forum -- where people say that "I think shaved heads look good, but it wouldn't look good on me" or the more recent one  - "grey hair looks OK on other people but not on me". 

I started wearing glasses when I was four years old.  I got teased a bit at school in the early years, but as time went by there were more kids with glasses and it ceased to be a big deal.   It was never an issue after that until I shaved my head five years ago and I have not worn glasses in public since.  I wear them around the house, but I've always felt ridiculous wearing glasses with a shaved head, even though I think that combo looks perfectly fine on everybody else.  It wasn't until just a few nights ago when I was wearing my glasses and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and suddenly thought that it didn't look half bad.

The bottom line is, you've built this up in your mind to be a huge deal, but it isn't going to be a big deal to anybody else.   When you're out in public now, I'll bet that nobody points to you and says, "Look at the guy with the hearing aids."  And they're not going to start doing that just because you've shaved your head.

[blondbaldur]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I guess I shouldn't worry about things so much and just go for bald. I think I have made to big of a deal of it to myself. Thanks Razor X.  I'm way too self-conscious about everything though and always try to be a "people pleaser." I guess I'm self-conscious about wearing ha's because you have to prove yourself more often and work harder when you are at a disadvantage. And I used to get teased when I was younger.  But it's one of those things I need to think about I guess. A lot. Long hair has kind of been my identity for such a long time. But maybe that time is passing. I'd say I don't care what others think about my looks, but I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't have made this post here, and I wouldn't worry about how I looked with my hair like it is now. I would not worry about wearing decent, ironed clothes, etc. Oh, the irony. ;-) If I really didn't care, I'd say screw whoever doesn't like my half bald longhaired head, and conversely, I'd say the same about my shaved head were I to take that route!

Here's what my hair looks like now. I'm trying hard to imagine what it'd look like gone.

[Razor X]

Your hair doesn't really look bad in the photos, but there are signs of thinning and at some point you're going to have to get rid of the long hair, because it just isn't going to work if you've got little or nothing on top.  You might want to start by getting a buzz cut  -- a #2 (1/4") to start, and gradually go shorter as you get more comfortable with having less hair.

[collegebuzz]

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=9883394

This guy shaved he head (i think for charity) but wears hearing aids and looks cool with the combo of both. Hope he give you some more inspiration. Go to his pics and look in 'Hot 107.9 fun' There is a bald pic in there, with his aids in clear, but not bad sight.

Let us know what you decide, but, you will never know unless you try, and your hair seems to have made up it's mind already.

[marshd1000]

If you really wanted to shaved your head, I think it would actually look good.  Especially, if you kept the beard, I think that it would actually look kind of intimidating with the darkness of it.  I don't think that anyone would say anything about the hearing aids.

[bubbadave3]

If you really wanted to shaved your head, I think it would actually look good.  Especially, if you kept the beard, I think that it would actually look kind of intimidating with the darkness of it.  I don't think that anyone would say anything about the hearing aids.

and if anyone is lame enough to say something about a person's hearing aids, then I have 2 recommendations.  First off, do what my mother-in-law does, and pretend that they're not turned on, so that you can't hear what anyone says.  Secondly, if you feel like you have to say anything in response, tell them to GET STUFFED and to PISS OFF!

For what it's worth, I have a hard time hearing out of my right ear, and had my ears tested a couple of years ago.  They told me at the time that the hearing loss was due to nerve deadness (?), and that it couldn't be corrected by hearing aids.  I've been thinking about going to someone else for another test and for a 2nd opinion.  If I had a hearing aid and someone had the nerve to say anything to me, then I'd have to glare at them or something.