“I Started Losing My Hair At 20” | Listen Up | ABC Science
Summary
TLDRChris, a 29-year-old former contestant on 'So You Think You Can Dance,' shares his struggle with hair loss since the age of 20. Initially, he felt ashamed and worried about his appearance, affecting his life significantly. After trying various treatments with limited success, a hair growth cream helped temporarily, but stress from his mother's passing caused a relapse. In the entertainment industry, where appearance is paramount, Chris faced typecasting and decided to shave his head. Ultimately, he embraced a hairpiece, which has restored his confidence and sparked a desire to normalize the conversation around hair loss and the use of hairpieces.
Takeaways
- 💔 Chris began experiencing hair loss at the age of 20, which deeply affected his self-esteem and daily life.
- 🎭 As a contestant on 'So You Think You Can Dance,' Chris faced the added pressure of maintaining a certain appearance in the entertainment industry.
- 🔍 The cause of Chris's hair loss was unclear, with doctors suggesting it could be hereditary or spontaneous.
- 💊 Medication options for hair loss were fraught with side effects, causing Chris to question their worth.
- 🌱 A hair growth cream eventually provided some relief, taking about six months of consistent use to show results.
- 🌪️ The death of Chris's mother and the associated stress led to a resurgence of hair loss, exacerbating his feelings of shame and worry.
- 🎩 Chris resorted to wearing hats constantly to hide his hair loss, which became exhausting and affected his quality of life.
- 💇♂️ Shaving his head was a last resort for Chris, influenced by the difficulty of constantly hiding his hair loss.
- 🎬 After shaving his head, Chris was typecast into 'dad' or 'old man' roles, which was disappointing and a final straw for him.
- 🤔 Chris highlights the stigma surrounding hair pieces and toupees, drawing parallels to women getting hair extensions.
- 💬 He advocates for more open conversations about hair loss to normalize the topic and reduce the associated stigma.
- 🦲 Despite the hair piece not being his natural hair, Chris feels amazing and confident, forgetting most of the time that it's not his own.
Q & A
What was the initial impact of hair loss on Chris's life?
-Hair loss controlled Chris's life, causing constant worry and thoughts about it, and making him feel ashamed of his appearance.
At what age did Chris start experiencing hair loss?
-Chris started losing his hair at the age of 20.
What was Chris's occupation when he first noticed his hair thinning?
-Chris was a contestant on 'So You Think You Can Dance' and was starring in the show when he first noticed his hair thinning.
How did Chris's hair loss affect his self-esteem and daily activities?
-Chris was ashamed of his hair and couldn't handle the thought of anyone looking at or touching it. He felt the need to hide it constantly, even for simple tasks like going to the mailbox.
What were the possible reasons doctors suggested for Chris's hair loss?
-Doctors suggested that the hair loss could be either hereditary or just happen without a clear cause.
What was the treatment method that Chris found effective in combating his hair loss?
-Chris found a hair growth cream effective, which took about three months to kick in and helped his hair grow back by the time he was 22.
How did Chris's mother's passing affect his hair loss?
-The stress from his mother's passing caused Chris's hair to fall out again, leading him to believe it would not grow back.
What was the impact of Chris's hair loss on his career in the entertainment industry?
-After shaving his hair off, Chris was mostly given roles as 'dad' or 'old man' characters, which was disappointing for him.
What solution did Chris eventually find to address his hair loss?
-Chris found using a hair piece to be a simple and effective solution that he wished he had known about earlier.
How does Chris feel about the hair piece not being his natural hair?
-Chris doesn't mind that the hair piece isn't his natural hair and often forgets it's not his own because it feels connected to him.
What is Chris's perspective on the stigma around hair pieces for men?
-Chris believes there should be no stigma, comparing it to women getting hair extensions and stating it's the same thing.
What message does Chris want to convey about discussing hair loss openly?
-Chris feels that talking about hair loss more openly will help normalize the conversation and remove any associated stigma.
What does Chris believe is required to seek help for hair loss?
-Chris believes it takes courage and strength to ask for help regarding hair loss.
Outlines
😔 Struggle with Hair Loss
Chris, a 29-year-old former contestant on 'So You Think You Can Dance,' shares his emotional journey with hair loss, which began at the age of 20. He describes the profound impact it had on his self-esteem and the constant worry about his appearance. The rapid hairline recession and the lack of clear medical explanations added to his distress. Despite trying various treatments with mixed results, including a hair growth cream that eventually worked, the stress of his mother's passing triggered another episode of hair loss. Chris highlights the difficulty of dealing with hair loss in the entertainment industry, where appearance is paramount, and the societal stigma associated with hairpieces and toupees.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Hair loss
💡So You Think You Can Dance
💡Hereditary
💡Medication side effects
💡Hair transplant
💡Hair growth cream
💡Stress
💡Hiding
💡Entertainment industry
💡Hair piece
💡Stigma
💡Normalizing conversation
💡Courage
Highlights
Chris began losing his hair at 20, which greatly affected his life and self-esteem.
Hair loss made Chris feel ashamed and self-conscious, especially during his time on So You Think You Can Dance.
Chris struggled with the rapid thinning of his hairline and the fear of others noticing or touching his hair.
Doctors suggested hair loss could be hereditary or just happen without a clear cause.
Most hair loss treatments had side effects that worried Chris about their long-term impact.
A hair growth cream provided Chris with some relief, taking three months to show results.
The death of Chris's mother and the stress from the event caused his hair to fall out again.
Chris felt exhausted from constantly trying to hide his hair loss, even for simple tasks.
Being in the entertainment industry exacerbated Chris's insecurities about his appearance.
After shaving his head, Chris was typecast into 'dad' or 'old man' roles, which was disappointing.
Chris felt stigmatized by hair pieces and toupees, but saw no difference between them and women's hair extensions.
Chris found a hair piece to be a simple and effective solution that he wished he had known about earlier.
Wearing a hair piece made Chris feel amazing and improved his self-confidence both externally and internally.
Chris believes that open conversations about hair loss can help normalize it and reduce stigma.
Chris encourages others to seek help for hair loss, emphasizing the courage it takes to ask for assistance.
Transcripts
It just controlled my life.
I was always worried about it. I was always thinking about it. It definitely made me feel
really ashamed of how I looked for sure. I'm Chris, I'm 29 and I started losing my hair at 20.
I was a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance, starring in the show and it was such an exciting
time. When my hair first started thinning, the hair line had moved way back on my head. It
was kind of rapidly going instantly. I couldn't handle the thought of someone looking at my hair
or touching my hair because of how bad it looked and I was so ashamed of it. I was super young
thinking: I'm 21, I should have a head full of hair you know. I remember being just so upset.
There was never any really clear answers of why. Doctors were just kind of saying that it was either
hereditary or it can just happen. Most of the options had a lot of side effects.
The medication made me really worried that if it was to take it, is it worth the hair growth.
The hair transplant isn't 100% guaranteed that it can stay forever. The best result we got
was like a hair growth cream. It took about three months to kick in and by 22,
it had come back. So it was like a good six months of using this cream. It was just so exciting.
So I was living in Los Angeles when I received one of the worst phone calls I probably could
have ever got in my life. My Mum had passed away. And I guess in that time, the stress was
like unbearable.Immediately my hair just started to fall out again. I just thought like that's
it. It's not going to come back again. I was consistently trying to hide it. Even for me just
going to the mailbox, I would put a hat on. It was just exhausting. I was always worrying
about what I looked like that I just thought the only option was to completely get rid of it.
Being in the entertainment industry is hard. You're being judged every second on how you look.
Once I shaved the hair off, the job I was given were just all dad roles or
literally old man roles, like in inverted commas, "old man".
It was just so disappointing. That for me, was the final straw when I started seeing
those words. I was like, I have to do something about this.
If I had known how simple getting a hair piece was, I would have done it years ago.
I definitely think there is stigma around hair pieces and toupees today. There's no difference
with a woman getting extensions and a guy getting something for his hair. I think it's exactly the
same thing. It doesn't matter to me at all that this isn't my hair. I actually forget that it's
not mine most of the time because it's connected to my head. I feel amazing. I feel probably the
best I've felt in years. I feel so good about the way I look. I feel good on the inside.
I felt like there wasn't enough talk about hair loss. The more we speak about this, the
more it becomes normal and the more it's just a normal conversation.
It takes a lot of courage and strength to put your hand up and ask for help.
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