Bald is now More Cool Than Beautiful

the medical definition of hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, that refers to a loss of hair from part of the head or body. Typically at least the head is involved. The severity of hair loss can vary from a small area to the entire body. Hair loss in some people causes psychological distress.

Common types include: male-pattern hair loss, female-pattern hair loss, alopecia areata, and a thinning of hair known as telogen effluvium. The cause of male-pattern hair loss is a combination of genetics and male hormones, the cause of female pattern hair loss is unclear, the cause of alopecia areata is autoimmune, and the cause of telogen effluvium is typically a physically or psychologically stressful event. Telogen effluvium is very common following pregnancy.

are up to speed about the medical standpoint on hair loss, for I do not plan on going any further to discuss the various ways baldness can manifest itself: bald, male-pattern baldness, or bald men, which I am proud of my baldness. Time was, I had to have a full head of hair with the key word being "had."

Then in 1999 what I thought to be the end of (my) world ended with the top (or crown) of my head going completely bald. Man, did I feel like an outcast and without as much as one whisper, I was secretly kicked-out from the "cool" people who I was accustomed to hanging with on weekends. All because my hair came out. Did you get that? Out!

And with my trying several hair-growing formulas (which I won't mention for they do not deserve my support), they failed as bad as my self-image. Funny too, let me mention that when my wife and I married when I was 21 and she was 20, my hair plague began and ended in a few short years.

appeared on magazine covers, tee-shirt slick sayings, even hit television shows like "Dukes of Hazard," starring Tom Wopat "Luke Duke," and John Schneider "Bo Duke," Denver Pyle, "Uncle Jessie," and the voluptuous Catherine Bach as "Daisy Duke," all had gorgeous, shiny hair, even acting legend, Denver Pyle who played as "Uncle Jessie." The producers of this hit CBS show in 1977 were some of the smoothest guys in show business. Did you ever notice that every star on this show would always appear in selected chase scenes with Sorrel Brooke "Boss Hogg" and James Best "Rosco P. Coltrane," "Dukes," their co-stars and all, do you hear me, all, of these stars (aside from Brooke) had gorgeous, full heads of hair that flowed while their convertibles were flying around on rural Hazard County roads going at God only knows how fast flowing in the wind and if things were not insulin above, all of these scenes were in slow motion.

Okay. I learned how to deal with me not having hair and those guys and girls on television always having hair. Even in years when the "Dukes of Hazard" went off of the air and the stars went to other works, they all kept their full heads of hair.

about the hit song, "Hair," came along in the late1960s, by The Cowsills. Oh, I loved that song. Who wouldn't? If you had hair like me in those happy years of the 1960s, you and I could sing this song with the best of them. No sweat. I even took to wearing my hair long and I mean long enough so the wind could blow my hair like those guys in the television commercials that I once idolized, but when my hair was gone, I did a lot of pretended to hair lots of hair in order to give myself a strand of good self image, but soon that crashed and burned.

But folks, I share this heart-felt memory that I am not ashamed of mentioning. I once loved the Cowsills and that song, "Hair." I even loved their mom, Barbara Cowsill, aka/ "Mini Mom," and as for musical talent, man, these guys were anointed for what they did. Now you can laugh if you like.

I am not with hair--short, barbered, styled, long or short. I wear my head shaved. That's right. Shaved. It's the cool thing, guys. Have you really taken a good look around? From cool-and-tough Stone Cold Steve Austin, pro wrestler to Bruce Willis (no introduction needed) are all bald. Bald, I tell you. Bald and very cool. Just ask the ladies.

The only hair on my head today is the facial hair that I keep trimmed into a nicely-trimmed "power beard" as I call it.

I guess you are wondering about my title. Here we go. Bald is now More Cool Than Beautiful.

Adaption: from living with hair to no hair was quite easy and really liberating. Ask any bald man and check me on this sentence.

Grooming: I learned quickly and eagerly that I might add, was fun. Real fun. Never in my hairy-headed life did I ever have such jubilance as when I first took a shower without hair, drying myself off, administering my deodorant, clothes and going. Did you hear that? Going! No hair to dry. No hair dryer to dry. Money in the b

Wife's Habit: of pulling my hair each time that she grew irritated by something that I said or done. Not happening today, or any day this day forward. If she were to be reading this, I would invite her to go ahead and try your best to pull enough of my scalp to cause me any degree of hurt.

Personal Peace: of mind goes a long way when every time that I look into my mirror or any mirror, what I see that is going to be "it." I am not into playing foolish games, pumping up some phony front with an equally-phony hairstyle with a "Super-Sized Mullet." I see me. No hair. A tad overweight with my facial hair trimmed. No pretense. Just me. This works, my friends.

Questions: to me from friends and a few strangers were, I want to be upfront, disconcerting. I first felt shy, nervous, and stupid as a clam with no shell. But in a few days, those same people warmed up to my new look and when they realized that I was no longer a rock and roller, but a father-in-law and a soon-to-be grandfather, my bald head became cool and very comfortable.

My Personal Economy: was increased by my not having hair to worry about. When I did get my first public haircut, I think it was 1974, the price was $9.00 in a professional barber establishment, but out of pure fun I checked the price of a regular haircut in a mall in 1990, and the young woman said with an eager smile, "that will be $18.00 plus my tip." My smile of not letting her cut my hair was saying enough.

Respect: when gave from myself to other people (with) hair is really astonishing. Somehow those "bad apples" who love to put bald men down, maybe to their lowly level, gasp in disbelief. I simply shake their hands, ask how do you do and keep walking.

Children: where I sometimes shop or attend church, seem to not make fun of my bald head. I've heard it said time and time again that "there is a lot of purity inside the heart of a child."

People: whom I attend church are pretty most excited about having a bald guy sit in the congregation during Bible study and worship services for the truth is: I, and this is not boasting, am the only bald 63-year-old man in my church. And the same thing can be said about the women who attend church with me.

Animals: that I tend, six cute and mysterious cats never bother to complain to me about my lack of hair. To them it is just me meeting one of their basic needs of being given a good meal each day.

When I: should happen to meet some (whom I've already mentioned) Stone Cold Steve Austin, I would bet that he would look at me, scowl and say, "rock on, bro!" You get it, don't you? Steve Austin's head is bald also.

My Wife: at once did not understand why I keep my head shaved to the scalp. As I explained this to her, "When I did have hair, there was only hair on the sides and back of my head giving me the look of Bozo, The Clown, but without orange hair. So the logical thing for me to do was start shaving my head and letting my beard grow, but not too long." Somehow she understood.

And lastly . . .

My Technique: to start shaving my head and be among the many bald guys in America--and the world for that matter, was not an easy task. I had to learn how to look at a mirror (in my hand) with my back turned toward a bigger mirror on our bathroom. Talk about motor skills being challenged. But with trying, innovation, and practice, I can do both, shower and shave at one time in my shower. This to me was as exciting as Albert Einstein finding out the meaning of E=MC2.

I'll tell you all about this sometime.