Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I have, for the last few years of my life, been afraid of losing my hair. If the hair loss is genetic, then I’m screwed! You see, my dad has been losing his hair since I can remember. An amazing fact, considering after 30 years of losing his hair, he’s still got a substantial amount of hair left. You can, however, see his shiny scalp.

My late uncle (my dad’s elder brother) only had hair around the sides of his head when he passed away around seven years ago… My cousin, who’s about 15 years older than me had started losing his hair many years ago. So if that’s any indication, then I better start worrying.

It’s not that I have really great ‘Fabio looking’ hair. It’s normal. But it’s one of those things that help to give me a ‘youthful appearance’. Some people still assume that I’m much younger… around 26-27. Heck, three years ago, bouncers at a club wanted to see my ID, thinking I was under 21! (Funny how when you were younger, you dread being asked for your ID… now you smile from ear to ear when they ask for it).

It’s not just the youthful appearance. You see, some people look good without hair. I have a friend who is ‘quite large’. He has been losing his hair since our university days. Fortunately, a bald head looks good on him because of his large size. Gives him a ‘macho’ appearance.

I’ve got another friend who is of average size. His balding head gives him a ‘mature aura’. He looks like he has fully experienced life and has a lot of wisdom to pass on to others.

Bald and skinny however DOES NOT WORK! I tried imagining it. My friends have tried imagining it. It looks BAAADDDDD!!!

So I’m now always ‘monitoring’ my hair… examining my hairline, just in case there’s any movement there. It’s not like I could do anything about it… it is, after all, genetic. I have however notice a slight upward movement in some areas… but then again, it could be paranoia.

Why can’t my dad pass down a more useful trait… such as a high confidence of himself or financial prudence… heck, I’ll settle for his better sense of direction… anything but his hair, or more accurately, his lack of hair.