Coping with baldness

[dusktreader]

Immediate Disclaimer: I wear wigs, and they work well

However, there's just this feeling of incompleteness whenver I am dressed at all and not wearing a wig. When I look in the mirror, the first thing I see is my bald head until I quickly throw a wig on. When I was in my young 20's (before I started dressing) I grew my hair long and loved it. It causes me some pretty intense...I don't know, body disphoria?...when I think about my hair. I yearn for the ability to grow my own hair long and style it how I like. I like to dress butch (don't care for the 'drab' label...sometimes I look hot in masculine clothes!), but I would still love to have long hair for my guy looks.

Do any of you girls have any advice for someone who misses her/his hair badly?

[Beverley Sims]

I can only say go with what you have.
Wearing a wig hides most sins.
I know some of us are lucky and have hair.
Remember you are like most others, enjoy the transformation that a hairpiece gives. :)

[Kate Simmons]

I'm totally bald. Personally, I like my guy look even so.MY GF tells me I look very sexy. I don't have a lot of haircut bills (my GF cuts my hair when the sides get too unruly). I use all perceived disadvantages as an advantage. I usually don't dress unless I go all the way and this gives me the opportunity to try different looks using my large diversified wig collection.I post my different looks as my avatars here. Works for me Hon. ;):battingeyelashes::)

[cdsara]

I view it as less hair I have to cover with a wig. I don't have to fight covering my dark hair with my blonde wig.

[Miriam-J]

As others have said, just look at the advantages of baldness ... less time and money spent on hair care (cuts, shampoo, combs), a look that many ladies consider to be very sexy, and easy to pull on a wig.

Besides, that high forehead is a clear marker of intelligence and virility! ;-)

I'd never want to go back to all that hair. Enjoy!

Miriam

[Eryn]

It probably won't help, but GGs do suffer from hair loss and are affected by it even more profoundly. A man without hair can walk around in public with little notice, a balding woman is often treated as if she is diseased.

Read between the lines in a Paula Young or other wig catalog and you'll hear the message of "with our products you can feel as feminine as when you had hair."

[Kate T]

You've already identified the simplest advice, i.e. get a wig.

Another option. Revel in it. Use it and learn from it. How much more support could you show to GG's than using your baldness as a statement that says people should NOT be judged on their appearances.

[dusktreader]

I appreciate all the input. I miss caring for my hair, so I don't see the 'less work' angle as an advantage. I guess, though (thinking along the lines of Eryn, Adina, and Kate Simmons) using my baldness as a statement is a good idea. I do look good with a cropped look, and being able to rock that look is not something a GG can do without *considerable* sacrifice. It would probably be helpful to learn to do more with the wigs I have and maybe get a few more. I've been reluctant to try different styles with my wigs as I don't want to damage them. Learning how to style them better, though, probably would help me not feel so bad about not having my own hair to play around with.

Thanks, ladies!

[Cynthia Anne]

I know where you are coming from! Sometimes I like to wear a western hat instead of a wig! I keep my hair long and am bald on top! Today I went to a different beauty salon and she suggested dyeing my hair the same color as my wig! [it is dark brown with a few gray streaks!] The color came out perfect and my normal hair blends in perfect with the wig! To say the least I left there very happy!!

[Amy Lynn3]

Dusktreader, you may have help in the next few years. I saw on the news this evening, where researchers have taken the cells, from the base of human hair and grew more like them in a dish. They injected the cells into rats and a new human hair grew. The new hair was long, black and looked human, unlike the short, brown rat hair.

The news guy said it would take 4 or 5 years before human test were done. It does look promising to me.

[Jackie7]

I too am very bald. I keep my grey fringe trimmed sort or shaved. Sometimes I shave my head close and dress pretty without a wig, it's a bold look that can work pretty well. I also like having a dozen wigs so I can put on a different look any time. So that's my advice - have fun with what you have.

[Vickie_CDTV]

You have some options, but none of them are very good. Offhand, you can try rogaine (does not work for everyone), hair transplants (very expensive and can be painful, may or may not look real), or finasteride (can cause sexual side effects, and a tiny majority have found permanent.)

I am in the same boat, in my late 30s and starting to really lose my hair. None of the options look good for me, including HRT. I guess I have to accept it.

[Majella St Gerard]

Bald is beautiful, I dis-like wearing a wig.

[Tina_gm]

I have dealt with a receding hairline for many years. I have not gone completely bald yet, and probably never will. However, I hated the receding hairline with a passion. Not because of the hairloss itself.... well sorta, but just that there was no good way for me to make my hair look good. That is, until I shaved my head completely. I am never going back. I am lucky too in that I have a round head so it makes the shaved head look good for me.

[Alexis.j]

My hair started receding when I was still at school. I had my hair fairly long for many years, until I just had enough of the receding and shaved off everything, shave every second day. After many years I decided to try and grow it out again, but now i saw how much the baldness has progressed, sooo, there is no chance of any long hair for me, which is a real bummer and I used to get very depressed over it, but I am getting used to the idea of wearing wigs, just wonder how I will do when I go full time...

[sometimes_miss]

Plenty of GG's wear wigs. No reason we can't do the same.

[StephanieDragg]

I think bald men are sexy!!!

[NicoleScott]

Nature seems to be against CDers. We grow hair all over our bodies, which we don't want, and lose hair we would rather keep on our heads.

[Jilmac]

I'm bald too and I've resigned myself to the fact that if I ever grew my hair long I would end up looking like Ben Franklin.

[Loni]

i wish i could still grow a head full of long hair,
but sadly not going to happen,

but now my question is how to not over heat under a wig?

[5150 Girl]

I'm an 80's lady. Give me hair hair hair! Hair out to there! Sadly though Mother Nature has played the same cruel trick on me. Rogain wasn't any help to me either. The only thing I know to do is wig out or embrace the Shinde O'Conner look. :(
I have hair pieces for both my pretty side and my ugly side. Of course "his" are also long styles also. "he" comes off as either a heavy metal rocker or sometimes passes as a butch lesbian.

[marshalynn]

I don't want you to hate me, but I am 70 years old and have a full head of hair that goes below my shoulder blades.

[Denise Johnson]

I feel your pain !!! I HAD long forever. BUT not only the back is shoulder length and bald on top. When in male I wear a ball cap. Looks like I have a full head of hair. I so miss my hair. BUT when in girl mode throwing on a wig is so much easier without all that extra hair getting in the way.

[Tabitha Storm]

I have been balding for a while now. I actually am glad because it gave me an excuse to shave it and the wigs look better. Of course I would love long luxurious hair but with my job I wouldn't be able to have it anyway.


Tab

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi DT, Look at it this way you have the option of going with or without hair,