Baldness explained

• Hair loss can affect some lads from 15 onwards.
• The process affects everyone differently. Where some guys go completely bald at 25, others thin so slowly that it's barely noticeable. 
• By the age of 60, the majority of men will have experienced some form of hair loss.
• Technically, it's known as Male Pattern Baldness (or adrogenic alopecia), and is closely associated with the male hormone, testosterone.
• Typically, hair recedes from the temples, or the crown, or simply thins out all over.
• Patchy hair loss is known as alopecia areata, which can occur due to shock or stress, as can 100% baldness, known as alopecia totalis.
• Baldness also tends to be genetic. Curiously, it boils down to your mother's genes. This doesn't mean you need to inspect family photos for bald-headed freak aunts, because you're unlikely to find any. It simply means if there are a lot of thinning or receding males in your mother's family tree then chances are you could soon join their ranks.

If your thatch is beginning to thin

You can't halt the fall out, but you can keep the loss down by using a soft hairbrush, and not pulling your locks into that ponytail you've been sporting for so long. Also avoid fiddling with your hair or colouring it. The more you leave it alone, in fact, the less of an issue it'll be.

If your hair is history 

The key is not to make a big deal about it. Whether you thin a little bit more over the decades to come or lose your thatch completely, going bald doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. Baldness isn't a disease, after all. In fact most blokes feel better when they stop trying to cover it up and just accept baldness as a fact of life.

Bald but blue?

If you're feeling uncomfortable about what's happening to your hair, talk to a parent or another family member who has been through your experience. If baldness is rocking your self-esteem then remind yourself of things about you that others like and admire, then build on it. Even if you begin with something like your sense of humour, you'll soon see why people rate you - with a rug on top or not.

Updated: 16/10/2008