A considerable proportion of the population suffers from some degree of hair loss, and as men get older, the chances of pattern hair loss affecting them will only increase.
Everyone loses as many as 100 hairs a day without even realising as part of their natural hair cycle, often without really noticing a difference, but genetic factors, illness, stress and the effects of medication can magnify this hair loss.
Whilst this can be upsetting and accentuate the very stress that often causes hair loss, does losing your hair have an effect on other aspects of your life, such as your career?
Your Hair And Your Job
One of the first depictions of topical hair loss minoxidil, the 1990 episode of the animated comedy The Simpsons entitled Simpson and Delilah, shows the balding main character Homer getting access to “Dimoxinil”, at the time a relatively expensive prescription medicine.
After he does so, his career changes dramatically for the better. He gets rapidly promoted to a junior executive position at work and ends up making a really good impression on his boss.
However, when his supply runs out and his hair starts to fall out again, he loses the same respect he’d just gained from his colleague, ultimately ending up back where he was.
Now, thanks to the magic of cartoons, this example is somewhat exaggerated; the results of minoxidil are surprising but they are not immediate, nor will you immediately lose all of your hair if you miss a treatment.
However, there are ways in which your hair can affect your job prospects, although to what extent is quite complex and based on a range of different factors.
First impressions are key, and your hair is one of the first things people will notice, rightly or wrongly, about your appearance at a job interview.
It is unlikely that they will overtly prioritise someone with hair over someone who does not, but there are ways that hair can affect how potential employers and stakeholders will see you.
The first is that neat, well-groomed hair is a priority, and having pattern baldness, particularly in a way that is less than symmetrical, can limit what you can do with it, and make certain hairstyles largely inaccessible.
The second, and far more critical aspect is not so much how others see you but how you see yourself. Hair gives you confidence largely by not making you feel self-conscious.
Whilst the moral of The Simpsons episode that brought minoxidil to the world’s attention is that all of your achievements come down to self-belief and not your hair, not being conscious of your hairstyle and how you look can keep you focused, confident and ready to show your best side.
There are certain careers, such as modelling and acting where your appearance directly affects your career prospects, and even in some careers where it does not, your hair is an expression of yourself and can provide some indication of your priorities and sense of self.
Thankfully, there are more treatments for hair loss available than ever before, designed to help with its myriad of causes.