We live in a society that places a lot of double standards on what it will expect from women versus what it expects from men. All of us have heard of the average pay inequities, that a woman makes roughly sixty cents for every dollar a man makes doing the same job. Women also have much more trouble finding comparable jobs to their male counterparts in the first place. It’s tougher to get credit if you’re a woman and damn near impossible to receive the child support ordered in most divorce settlements.
But one of the most unfair realities of being a woman is how your appearance is gauged. Strangely, while a man is allowed to “age gracefully”, a woman must maintain her luster, her youth, in ways no man was ever expected to. And no factor of personal appearance is more important than hair. A man may experience hair loss and still be considered quite attractive. Sean Connery, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, and James Garner are all considered to be fine physical specimens, yet they all share one very important attribute that would be unacceptable if found in a woman. All four of these men have experienced steady, unchecked hair loss.
Think about it. How would we react if Sofia Loren, or Terri Garr, or Kathleen Turner began to lose their hair? Most people would say that they looked unattractive, a shame given how lovely and intelligent all three of these fine actresses are. The fact remains though: while it is acceptable for a man to show hair loss, it is forbidden for a woman to do the same.
But while there is a good deal of difference in the way we react to a woman’s hair loss as opposed to baldness in a man; there really is no sex discrimination in the way that hair loss strikes either group. Both men and women suffer the effects of baldness and accordingly, the treatments are exactly the same.
Women can choose between three accepted forms of treatment for female hair loss. First, they can opt to go to a doctor to get a prescription for Rogaine® .. Rogaine® is literally the only topical formula that is certified by the FDA as being even remotely effective in restoring hair. Second, a woman can decide to have a hair transplant done. The procedure involves the moving of grafts of hair from donor areas in the back of the head up to the areas where hair loss occurs. The third option for a woman is to purchase a system of hair replacement that covers the balding portion of her head.