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-- ST PHOTOS: MARK CHEONG
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Hair today, gone tomorrow. That's the bald fact facing nearly half of Singapore's men by the time they are 50.
Never mind that soccer stars such as David Beckham and Die Hard actor Bruce Willis have made chrome domes sexy and suave.
Some Singapore men LifeStyle spoke to are tearing their hair out - or what little they have left, that is - over losing their crowning glory to Mother Nature.
One bald-buster, trade officer Andrew Tan, 39, has spent $14,000 on restoring his receding hairline.
Others have handed over thousands of bucks for 'cures' ranging from rub-in lotions to electromagnetic laser treatments, or resorted to weaving extra hair into their own or, if all else fails, wigs.
Bald heads came under the public's glare recently when The Straits Times reported that a school teacher in Britain claimed he was a victim of disability discrimination because he was taunted by students over his baldness, who saw it as a weakness.
Mr James Campbell, 61, said the schoolkids' teasing affected his confidence and career. However, an employment tribunal threw out his case.
Singapore men interviewed admit that going bald can give a man a close shave with the blues.
Mr Kamal Dollah, 41, who started losing hair when he was doing his national service, laments: 'When my hair was thinning, I kept it short. But no matter what, it just didn't look right with whatever hairstyle. You look old.'
This clear marker that a guy's heady days of virile youth are over may indeed be cause for worry, going by the comments of some women.
Accountant Shirley Yin, 28, says: 'I think bald men look old - they look like dirty old men.'
Hair loss may not affect a person's physical health but it can have devastating effects on his emotional and social well-being, confirm Singapore image consultants and skin experts. Skin experts say such hair problems can strike up to 50 per cent of men by the age of 50.
Image consultant Christina Ong, 49, founder of ImageWorks Asia, says: 'My male clients struggle with huge self-esteem issues when they start to bald.
'For the average Joe, the problem is in accepting it and managing it in such a way that it doesn't start to become a self-induced problem.'
Hair clinics say they have seen a significant increase in the number of patients seeing them about hair loss.
According to Dr Eileen Tan, a dermatologist specialising in hair treatment, her daily patient count - up to 10 a day - has more than doubled. She is also treating more younger people nowadays.
The problem plagues both sexes, although more men end up seeking treatment. Among Dr Tan's patients, about 60 to 70 per cent are males.
Fortunate females are able to cover their hair loss more easily with long hair or hair extensions.
For guys, though, hair loss can be shear agony.
Trade officer Tan says he started noticing follicular-fallout in his early 20s and adds: 'I was concerned about meeting girls and that it might affect me work-wise. I was also very conscious of myself and became a bit more reserved.'
He tried everything from lotions to hair drugs, spending almost $10,000 on them, to no avail.
He adds: 'I got teased about my hair. I wouldn't say I was upset, but of course, I would have preferred that this did not happen to me.
'I had to learn to live with it and wasn't confident of finding a solution to the problem.'
But a $4,000 hair transplant in 2002 gave him a strand of hope. Well, more than that actually - he says he has seen big improvements, with more of his head being covered with hair now.
Another baldy, accounts manager John Tay, 39, resorted to the dreaded 'comb-over' to cover up his receding hairline, which began when he was only in his mid-20s.
He then tried potions and electromagnetic laser treatments and finally, a hair transplant, spending more than $4,000 in total.
Looking younger
As to what causes a man to lose his mane, Western medicine says that it is mainly a genetic problem and hence hereditary, with diet and stress being minor factors.
However, Chinese sinsehs believe it is related to the health of the internal organs.
There are also different types of hair loss, but doctors say androgenic alopecia - better known as male or female pattern hair loss - is the most commonly encountered.
While many of those affected choose to try and salvage whatever follicles they have left by using lotions, pills or even hair transplants, some have opted for the cheapest and easiest solution: to go bald.
About eight years ago, Mr Shaun Jayaratnam, 40, who works in the food and beverage industry, noticed the hair around his forehead was thinning, and also that even a shower seemed to cause a lot of hair to fall out.
Instead of going through the hassle of medication or therapy, he shaved everything off and has not looked back.
'I feel good being bald,' he says.
The married Jayaratnam adds with a laugh: 'I've had more women coming up to me since I went bald. They say I look a lot younger, like I'm in my 30s.'
But a close crop is not an option for the likes of Mr Tan, who says: 'Going bald is out of the question for me because I will look like an alien, and my ears will stick out.'
frankiec@sph.com.sg
Additional reporting by Tan Yi Hui
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