Dr Margaret answers e-mailers' embarrassing problems in this biweekly problem page.

Hair loss

Dear Dr Margaret
After years of going bald from the age of 18 (I’m male, and now 23), I have spent over £7000 on lotions, transplants and hair weaves. None have given me any worthwhile confidence in the outside world and I still continue to wear a baseball cap when I go out. Most treatments, if not all, are a complete waste of money, which I totally regret now. The money would have been better spent somewhere else, but places give you false hopes that the impossible can be achieved. I feel cheated, not only out of my youth, but out of my money as well.

Thank you for this comment. I feel quite angry about all the so-called ‘cures’ for baldness that are touted in magazine and newspaper ads and, especially, on the internet. People are being fleeced of their money, and end up angry and disappointed, as you describe.

There is nothing wrong with male baldness. It’s not a disease, it’s perfectly natural, and it shows you have male hormones flowing through your bloodstream. Of course, the problem is how you feel about yourself, how you feel people react to you, and perhaps how they do actually react to you.

The good news is that there seems to have been a real change in attitudes over the past 5 years or so. I honestly think people hardly notice baldness now, because so many men shave their heads simply to look good. (Thank you, Beckham.) But I think it will take a while for many bald men to recover their self-esteem, because of the jokey attitudes to baldness that prevailed until recently. Meanwhile, a lot of people are making money out of the situation.

It’s ironic that just as baldness is becoming totally acceptable, there are a couple of remedies that do work – minoxidil (lotion) and finasteride (tablet). However, they don’t work for everyone, they are costly and if you stop you will be back to square one after a few months. Before starting any baldness treatment, take a calm look at the evidence for its effectiveness and what the likely result will be, and the cost to you in terms of money, hassle and possible disappointment. Our hair loss section will be updated and expanded early in the New Year to include all this, as well as also include new information about bald patches and about hair loss in women. (If you would like us to send you an email let you know when the update has been posted, go to http://www.embarrassingproblems.com/pages2/hairloss.htm and enter your email address in the box at the bottom of the orange column on the left).

The best practical tip is to keep your remaining hair very short – avoid the comb-over at all costs! But, more importantly, actively try to improve your self-esteem, so that your baldness will no longer dominate your life. There are many excellent psychology self help books – look in your local library.

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