When is it time to shave?

One of the most emotional times in a man’s life, not boo-hoo emotional, but more self esteem and preservation emotions, is when to give in to the fact that we have to age. You are slower than we once were; you missed out on tons of opportunities; and 20 year old girls look at you as if you just escaped prison. With that receding hairline you know you look older and less spectacular than you did when your full head of hair capped your studded physique and good looks.

A defined hairline draws the eyes down to the many other features of the face that define us as men – a strong brow, deep eyes, strong cheek bones, and a square manly jaw. When you have begun to notice the hair thinning, the only thing you can think of is “Is it time to shave my head?”, and if I do does this leave me to only women that like bald guys? Actually, it might even define a new, fresh look if done properly and at the right time. Look at our photo of Dana White before the bold move to chrome. Was it the right time for him to define a prominent look as he grew into THE top promoter of MMA fights?

So what are your options? Actually there are options now that have been refined to the point of great success. However, first and foremost, shaving your head is an advantageous option and the least expensive of them all. However, each option takes time to obtain the desired result and has its own maintenance requirements.

Go ahead and shave it!

Shaving your head will certainly even out the definition created by the recede, but just like any other part of the body, requires often shaving and a dedicated skincare regimen including sunscreen! Being the highest profile area of the human form, you will need to use a high SPF sunscreen, such as SPF 50, found in most sport versions. However, if your skin is not as prone to burning as some with more fair skin, lower SPFs can be enough. Conveniently, many of today’s moisturizers have some level of SPF and you are going to need that anyway for your newly shaven skin.

Drugs baby, it will make you feel good…

In actuality they could make you feel good if they maintain or improve your self esteem. Propecia is the number one drug at this point to assist in hair return and prevention of further loss. This isn’t something to be taken lightly though which is why it requires a prescription (for now). Primarily for the prevention of further hair loss, Propecia studies have shown some minor hair growth where it had previously disappeared. It isn’t common, but what is often seen is much stronger hair that currently exists which is why prevention has been successful. So even if you choose to research our third option, hair transplantation, this is usually taken in conjunction after healing from a transplant procedure.

Having some sexual side effects, the good news comes in that any noticed side effects have gone away 100 percent of the time once the drug is no longer being used. This is the main reason why the wonder drug for hair loss is on it’s way to over-the-counter. Currently, you will pay approximately $100-$150 every three months for Propecia, so the costs are something to consider.

How it works is easy! As we grow older, testosterone continues to be produced (thank god) in our bodies. Some of this hormone catalyzes into DHT. DHT attacks, for lack of better terms, hair follicles and causes premature hair loss. Propecia simply counteracts the DHT, allowing hair to remain healthy and strong.

Hair Transplantation Procedures

Hair plugs are a way of the past. The same procedure that brought about laughter to many has been refined to the point of great success. Performed much in the same fashion as the outdated process, a strip of hair, approximately 1 inch by 6 inches is removed from the back of the scalp. With the original plugs, chunks of that strip were cutout and surgically implanted into other areas of the scalp. This of course left new, but patchy areas of new hair, hence the strange appearance that we know as hair plugs. This procedure is still the cheap alternative to the more modern and more time intensive procedures we are detailing here.

Studies have shown that hair grows in small groupings of anywhere between 2 and 5 hair follicles. So the more modern procedure takes apart these much smaller groupings, creating many more opportunities for implantation and a much more natural look after determining proper placement. From that original strip of hair they took, you will receive between 500 and 1000 groupings. Imagine that in comparison to 5 or 6 patches. Think shredded cheese as opposed to a large block of cheese sitting on top of your head!

So why the strip from the back of the head? This is much easier to explain than you may think. Hair has a genetic code like everything else in the body. Hair on the very top of our heads has a different code than that around the side and back of the head. These side and backside hairs are permanent and therefore when transplanted will be there for life. Since there is some play in the skin in the back of the head, the strip can be removed and the skin sewn together leaving only a hair-line scar that cannot be seen through the covering hair.

So before making any decisions, you still need to consider this, how does this decision affect any future decisions? If you transplant permanent hair to the front of your head, it is there for life. If you lose the rest of your hair because you have not taken further preventative measures, you are going to have hair in the front, side and back but none in other parts where you continued to lose hair. At that point if you decide you will just shave your head, well now you have a long scar in the back of your newly shaven head (which by the way sunscreen will be even more important as to not darken the scar tissue).

It is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Considering this site is all about fighting, it is bound to happen when issues are as sensitive as this one. So take your time and decide what may be best for you. No matter what you decide there will be a commitment to shaving, pill popping, skin conditioning, and keeping a watchful eye on the rest of your hair.

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