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Yet hair loss can be devastating. A study two years ago by researchers in Germany revealed the psychological toll of going bald. Staff at the Charité Universitätsmedizin teaching hospital in Berlin found that the "enormous emotional burden" of hair loss caused problems of self-esteem and, in the worst cases, triggered psychological disorders like body dysmorphia and trichotillomania, an obsessive physical tic that causes the sufferer to repeatedly twist and pull their hair, making the hair loss far worse than it would ordinarily be."I don't want to be too casual about the use of the term 'depressed,' but balding certainly put my anxiety through the roof. I wore a hat a lot and generally tried to avoid all discussion about hair." — Phillip Paoletta
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Dr. Gershen Kaufman, a former professor of psychology at Michigan State University and the author of The Psychology of Shame, thinks stories like this reflect how much our hair is tied into our self-image."Think of all the times we look in the mirror and we see our face and hair and experience them as part and parcel of the same thing—who we are," says Dr. Kaufman. "Our self lives in our face and anything that alters our face, namely our hair, is going to drastically alter how we perceive ourselves."Going Bald Sucks, But Going Bald When You're a Woman Sucks Harder
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In the early 90s, Michael Potkul ended up with scars from his temples to his neck after a botched hair transplant by a surgeon in Pittsburgh. A court was told that Dr. Dominic A. Brandy severed key arteries as he tried to stretch Potkul's scalp, stunting hair growth instead of encouraging it. Potkul was so appalled by the result he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest, the bullet barely missing his heart.In the end, Kobren found a doctor to prescribe him Finasteride, a medication for enlarged prostate that he had heard anecdotally was effective in treating MPB. Finasteride is now marketed as Propecia and alongside another medicine, Rogaine, is the only FDA-approved drug for the treatment of hair loss. But Propecia remains controversial. Users have to take it daily and if they stop, it ceases being effective. Meanwhile, some users—Phillip Paoletta included—have reported suffering sexual dysfunction as a side effect.Did you know steroids can cause hair loss? Read about it on Motherboard.
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