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Getting Over the Hurdle: Helping Men Talk About Hair Loss

Summary & Participants

It's often hard for men to acknowledge they are losing their hair. But hair loss treatment is most effective when started early, so it's important for men to speak up if they are worried about hair loss. Tune in as patient advocate Spencer Kobren talks about the decisions facing men who are balding.

Medically Reviewed On: July 15, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANOUNCER: In our culture, it's women who are usually encouraged to think about their hair. Maybe that's why acknowledging hair loss is something many men have a hard time with.

MAX NORAT: Well, hair loss is very difficult. You feel like you're aging... you don't feel good about yourself.

EDWARD SIVIGMY: I think a lot of men are in almost denial about it. They think they're fooling people, because you see so many guys out there that comb their hair from left to right and think people don't notice, or wearing toupees that are so obvious that it's almost laughable.

ANOUNCER: Other men are quicker to recognize their problem and act on it.

LOUIS VEIL: When I first started to notice that my hair was thinning, I wanted to do something about it right away. So probably not more than a matter of a couple weeks upon noticing that I was thinning did I seek out the advice of friends and then the advice of doctors. So I would say that by the time I noticed some thinness and I contemplated it momentarily, within a couple weeks I had a prescription.

ANOUNCER: Patient advocate Spencer Kobren, Founder and Director of the Bald Truth Foundation, knows a lot about the worries and fears of men struggling with hair loss.

SPENCER KOBREN: One of the first questions I get when someone is new to hair loss and just found a program. They ask me whether or not the products they hear advertised work. For instance, some of the over-the-counter stuff and also even Propecia. They're afraid because they hear all of the language that's involved and the side effects. They don't really realize that this product could change their lives.

ANOUNCER: Not all men are bothered by hair loss. And for many, their concerns eventually outweigh their hesitations.

EDWARD SIVIGMY: As a man looks at himself in the mirror and he gets used to it, it takes him a long time, I think-at least it did for me-to actually decide to do something about it. And also, your life circumstances change until all of a sudden you decide, "I think I should maybe try and do something about it." So I would say it took me 20 years to really decide emotionally that I would look for some procedure that wasn't obvious.

ANOUNCER: The first line of defense for many men is drug therapy, both prescription pills, and over-the-counter skin treatments.

LOUIS VEIL: At the time that I decided to seek treatment, I was only aware of basically two different avenues: you could either go the topical route or the pharmaceutical route. I liked the idea much better taking one tiny pill once a day and getting into that and hoping for the best. So I immediately consulted a couple friends of mine who were doctors and got some opinions and decided to go on Propecia.

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