BALDNESS: DESCRIPTION AND POSSIBLE MEDICAL PROBLEMS
I remember having a microbiology professor in medical school who refused to admit he was going bald. Memorizing all those elements was bad enough, but the teacher refused to admit that he was going bald. So he combed the few remaining strands over the top of his shiny pate and hoped we wouldn’t notice. We did, of course, but at least it kept us entertained during the eternity of that class.
Some men and women lose their hair temporarily as a reaction to physical and/or mental stress such as chemotherapy, emotional upset, or even dieting. This results in a condition called alopecia areata. However, when a man in midlife—or earlier—starts to lose his hair, it’s pretty much a permanent sign of aging, especially if his father was bald, since significant hair loss tends to be hereditary.
Men typically begin to lose their hair at the temples and above the forehead. If the hair loss is progressive, the baldness then continues over the top of the head. Women begin to notice thinning hair after menopause because of hormonal changes, but their loss tends to occur all over the head.
Unless the hair loss is sudden and significant, you should consider it a normal part of aging. Whether or not you decide to do anything about it is up to you.
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