24. The bald and the beautiful

It is no breaking news that the 'bold' becomes 'bald' sooner than the 'beautiful'. Loss of hair on the temples and vertex with a rim of hair retained along sides and rear of the head is common, termed the 'hippocratic wreath'. I doubt if this has got anything to do with the Greek philosopher Hippocrates, though he too had lost hair early.    

The question that begs attention is: why do men lose hair at a faster rate than women? It is not that women don't lose hair but they do hide the exposed turf with their long hair. I have reliably learnt that the theories on baldness that apply to men do not necessarily relate to women. Blame it on testosterone hormone, they say!

Curiously, the hormone that makes men 'bold' turns them 'bald' too. While genetic make-up and diet does play some role in delaying the process, baldness is a syndrome that most men can hardly avoid. Hair restoration or transplant has come handy for those who can afford it. For the ordinary mortals, wig remains a vulnerable option.  

Many of you may have already run your soft hand over your head to check the ground conditions. Still others would have been at the mirror rotating their head on its axis. While some may have been relieved for now, many others have lost so much that they have thrown caution out of the window. For them, it is hair today gone tomorrow! 

All said, mystery of hair fall must be resolved. A new study blames it on the law of gravity - 'the force of downward pull caused by gravity on the scalp skin is a key contributor to progressive hair loss in men'. Wonder, why did it not work on Issac Newton? Much like women, Newton supported long hair and a dense canopy!

Let's not split hairs on the issue any further. A friend offers a comforting but amusing suggestion to those who are victims of receding cover on top.  Says he, 'when the (bald) head is held high, the hair can only fall behind'.