I thought it was nonsense. Shows what I know. I suppose folk wisdom is vindicated again.
Though, I would also somewhat expect pulling at it increases blood flow, which I would think to have some impact on growth?
PS Love the bio!
And glad you like that I realize I'm usually wrong! :D
But I am also pretty confident that hair does not stop growing because of split ends. That feels like an “old wives tail”.
The impact on mental wellbeing can be pretty severe, though.
Probably easier to figure out the follicular science than change universal attraction preferences.
Topical minoxidil / finasteride has roughly zero side effects (due to the limited systemic exposure) and has something like a 90% efficacy rate. With 90%+ efficacy it's not a case of "this might work for you" it's "this will almost certainly work for you." It's cheap and it works.
Even oral 1mg finasteride has basically the same side effect profile after 1 year as placebo, side effects always* stop whether you stop taking it or continue taking it. And as an added bonus it significantly reduces your risk of low-grade prostate cancer (30% ish) while not increasing your risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Many of the side effects reported are in people taking 5mg doses for prostate hypertrophy, and the incidence of side-effects is dose dependent. Studies show that sexual side effects are primarily nocebo, if participants were told to expect them the rate was 3X higher than placebo, if they weren't told, they were about the same.
* the category of persistent side-effects has been defined primarily for data collection purposes, there's very little evidence for persistent side effects at all let alone a high incidence thereof. Many of the side effects people claim are related are things that would otherwise happen to you at the age you start to lose your hair regardless. It's good to collect more data though.
> As someone with thinning hair, it's horrible how little study/research is being performed to understand how hair grows and treat hair loss.
Given the size of the market I'd say there's a ton of research being done. It's just a tough nut to crack. There's some good data on PP405, for example.
Maybe for thinning hair only. If you're Norwood class 5–7, it won't help you unless you're a super responder (an outlier).
The only reason men care so much is because long hair was often associated with nobility and power. Ancient gods or classical royalty were usually depicted with long luscious hair. Society has conditioned men to feel like less of a man if they lose their hair.
But that’s BS, bald is also a good look for men. Just embrace it. Isn’t it crazy that even if we came up with a “cure” for baldness, some men would still choose to be bald anyway?
What you're saying is basically "Let them eat cake".
Here are some meta analysis + studies that support this:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37605428
"2024 mixed methods international survey paper summarizes prior experimental and cross sectional work and notes that studies often find more negative perceptions linked to baldness (e.g., being seen as older, less attractive, less successful)"
Your face is the most attractive part of your head and is what people pay attention to. If you have a fucked up face, it doesn’t matter if you have the most perfect round skull. And if your skull is a little weird, it won’t matter if your face is genuinely attractive. And you could be a very hairy guy, but if your face is ugly, you’re still screwed.
Bald men struggle on dating apps, because almost all men struggle on dating apps. I have never encountered a man who claimed to have a really delightful experience with dating apps unless he was some ridiculously attractive type. Even in the best cases, they still admit it’s a grind.
If you’re depressed because you’re bald, treat your depression the way actually depressed people do. Exercise, socialize, connect to people. And if that doesn’t work, just take pills or whatever.
Your claim is basically "if I wouldn’t be upset, nobody should be" and that's not how humans work. Baldness is a real negative signal in a lot of contexts, and "everyone suffers on apps" doesn't erase disadvantages.
Acceptance is great, denial dressed up as pragmatism isn't.
If you truly think you don’t look good bald, you can do a million things to pull attention away from your chrome dome. Grow a nice beard, build a fit muscular body, no one is going to care about your bald head.
Some men even appear sexy with a balding head, because they’ve accepted their fate and are just leaning into the style instead of doing comb overs or spraying on hair in some futile attempt to hold on to what is leaving them. Even hair transplants give off some insecure vibes, so make sure they are done to look as natural as possible.
If you clip your eyebrows, will they grow back to their original length? Or is there a process that generates an eyebrow hair and then stops after a pre-determined length of time (with periodic shedding)?
Animals evolved specialized hairs for different uses. Protection, warmth, display, your armpit hairs wick sweat and keeps your skin from rubbing. It's beneficial to have a system that keeps the specialized hairs in their optimal(ish) configuration and to replace hairs as they become worn and damaged.
I want to keep my favorite reply phrase: "Gras groeit niet harder als je eraan trekt." (Grass doesn't grow faster if you pull on it.)
Barathkanna•2mo ago
HexPhantom•2mo ago