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This one is tough to admit, because it’s forcing me to confront some things I might not be ready for.
When I went for my last haircut, I was talking to the woman cutting my hair, and I said something like: “I waited too long for this haircut, my hair gets kind of wild if I let it grow out…but hey, at least I still have it!” and then she said “well actually, you do seem to be losing your hair a bit on the top.” Then I remembered that I had been noticing a little bit of extra loose hair on my pillow and the shower floor. I didn’t think much of it, but all the signs were there! When I got home, I took a picture of the top of my head and sure enough, it is starting to get a little thinner on top. A couple days later, I talked to my dad about it and he said “well, if you start using rogaine now, you can probably keep from losing it too bad.”
Now, in the past I had always claimed that if I ever started to lose my hair, I would grow bald gracefully. I mean, baldness is not the worst thing in the world…some women even find it distinguished. The rogaine solution did seem tempting though. The downside of rogaine is that you have to continue using it for the rest of your life. To me, that seems like a heavy commitment, but not a complete deal-breaker. Then, when I started doing a little research, I stumbled upon the side effects, which include:
* acne on the area where it is being used as a topical solution
* headaches and/or lightheadedness
* very low blood pressure
* irregular or fast heart beat
* blurred vision or other vision problems
* decreased sexual desire
* partial, or complete, impotence
* numbness or tingling in the hands, feet or face
* rapid weight gain
* chest pain
Ouch. I mean, I could probably live with the headaches, numbness, chest pain, blurred vision, irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure. It’s just the thought of going through life as an acne-headed, impotent, really fat guy with no sexual desire that makes me kind of second-guess the whole rogaine thing; though, I would have a full head of hair!
In the end though, I have never been a person defined by my beautiful hair. In fact, my unmanageable hair has always been a bit of a burden. I guess I don’t care as much about losing my hair as what losing my hair represents. It is forcing me to recognize my own mortality . So, while I do not welcome baldness, I certainly accept it as an inevitability.
Addendum: Upon further research, the side effects I listed are rare and most would only occur if you used more than the recommended dosage. This has not, however, changed the conclusion of my post.
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