Summer means sun and sun means sunburn… if you’re not careful. Every Bald Man should know that sunscreen is an essential part of the survival kit. Yeah, sure, there’s skin cancer and premature skin aging risks to be sure, but you don’t have to think long-range to get motivated. Just remember how much a sunburn hurts; that should do it for most of us.

But be careful when you select your sunscreen. The Environmental Working Group, a consumer and environmental watchdog in DC, released a report claiming more than 80% of sunscreens don’t live up to their claims. “Only 16% of the products on the market are both safe and effective, blocking both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B radiation, remaining stable in sunlight, and containing few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards.” Among the concerns:

• Unstable ingredients that breakdown rapidly in sunlight, thus reducing their effectiveness
• Unsubstantiated product claims, such as “waterproof,” “all-day protection,” or “blocks all harmful rays”
• Untested and potentially unsafe chemical formulations that may be harmful if absorbed through the skin
• Products that do not protect against both UVA and UVB rays, both of which are associated with sunburn, accelerated skin aging and skin cancer

So, here are some tips gleened from the above MedPage article, an NPR report I heard yesterday on All Things Considered, and my own experience:

• Shop wisely – Look for either “zinc oxide” or “titanium dioxide.” These ingredients are proven safe and effective.
• Apply liberally – The recommendation is one ounce of sunscreen for your entire body. That’s probably enough to overflow your hand.
• Reapply often – You should reapply at least every two hours, more often if you are in the water or sweating a lot. Even the best sunscreens breakdown in sunlight and wash off.
• Buy ingredients not a brand – Zinc oxide is zinc oxide whether it’s in a cheap store brand or a designer label.
• Don’t forget the kids! – Tender skin needs extra protection, so don’t skimp on the SPF.

Post from: Blisstree

Choose Your Sunscreen Wisely: Tips for Summer

When medicalization—the characterization of human traits in terms of disease and ailment—first appeared as a concept in the 1970s, most social science gender scholarship focused on female or genderless bodies. The work on men, health, and medicine was scant and tended to depict masculinity as intrinsically damaging to men’s health.

Medicalized Masculinities considers how these threads in scholarship failed to consider the male body adequately and presents cutting-edge research into the definition and regulation of masculinity by medicine. Renowned health and gender studies experts examine medicalized conditions such as balding, aging, and other dimensions of the life cycle in the tradition of the sociology of health and gender.

The book is laid out in eight chapters, including the introduction and one by Julia Szymczak and Peter Conrad discussing “the newly invented male ‘diseases’ of andropause and baldness.” Sounds like the chapter is critical of current trends, identifying both the medical/pharmaceutical industry and men themselves as co-conspirators in this rapidly growing segment of medicalization.

Without having read the book or the chapter most relevant to our normal topic conversation, it seems that I would likely find myself in agreement with the general thesis presented: It is a disservice to characterize some age-related baldness as a disease in need of treatment.

Post from: Blisstree

Book: Medicalized Masculinities

Thompson held a statistically insignificant one percentage point lead over former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in the national poll of likely Republican primary voters, 28 percent to 27 percent. It was the first time all year anybody but Giuliani has led the 10-strong Republican field. (link)

Technically it’s first place, but that’s like giving answers on a math test to the 12th decimal because that’s what the calculator said. (For the record, that’s dumb and a dead giveaway to the teacher that you don’t understand the material and are just regurgitating formulas.)

Nonetheless, this is a man who has yet to announce his candidacy, and man who hasn’t participated in a debate or held a town hall meeting, a man whose campaign consists of an “exploratory committee” and website. (You can get a widget for your website over at I’mWithFred.com, and help the potential candidate raise some money…. Am I the only one who would bet against Fred knowing what a “widget” is?)

I credit Fred’s recent jump with the Baldiness.com endorsement. Others, however, may prefer to point toward the overall dissatisfaction among conservative voters with the official GOP candidates.

Post from: Blisstree

Not-Yet-Candidate Fred Thompson Leads GOP Poll

Q: Dr. Bernstein, why have you not had a hair Transplant? I’m sure this question gets asked a lot. Thanks.

A: Yes, all the time. My donor area is very thin (so I am not a good candidate) and I have gotten used to being bald. It has been years.

Post from: Blisstree

Dr. Bernstein Answers the BIG Question…

4) Between your books and blogs, the amount of insightful content you produce is staggering. How do you do it? Does being bald help?

Being bald, of course, is a cooling mechanism, and no sense overheating the cranium.

There you have it! Pay no attention to his other comments on observation, selling, earning permission, finding your niche, etc. It’s all right here: The KEY is in the CRANIUM!

h/t – Eye on DNA

Post from: Blisstree

Seth Godin – Baldness Is An Advantage

h/t – Balding Blog

Post from: Blisstree

Laser Hair Treatment Report – BBC Watchdog

I’ll keep my eyes out for any news to come from the conference in the next few days.

Post from: Blisstree

Fifth International Congress on Hair Research

Here at Baldiness, we don’t have much to say about politics, but we are going to follow a couple candidates. Politicians – particularly Presidential candidates – tend to be aging, while males… not coincidentally, in my opinion, the same demographic most likely to experience androgenic alopecia! My mandate demands I track the hopefuls!

While I get up to speed on everyone – there are still like a dozen or so on from each of the two major parties alone – I’m going to make an early declaration.

Fred Thompson is the Official Baldiness.com Unannounced Presidential Candidate from the Republican Party. Having asked for a release from his commitment at Law & Order… having launched his website and formed his exploratory committee… having risen to second in the early Republican polls DESPITE NOT YET HAVING ANNOUNCED HIS CANDIDICY! I feel strongly that this is the time to unofficially back the man as an unannounced presidential candidate.

This means we will be tracking his every move occasionally, and reporting back periodically on those occasional reports. (i.e. I’m adding “fred thompson” to my Google Reader… NOW!)

Post from: Blisstree

Fred Thompson: Official Baldiness.com Unannounced Presidential Candidate

Couture for Cancer, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that donates custom made non-surgical hair replacement systems completely free of charge, to any person suffering hair loss due to cancer and chemotherapy treatments. Our mission is to assist cancer patients during this difficult time in their life by boosting their self-confidence and personal outlook after the devastating loss of their hair.

Couture was founded by Mario Mazza, a third generation hair stylist from New Jersery who own an upscale salon in Jupiter, Florida. At some point Mazza began to offer free services to anyone who had lost their hair as a result of cancer treatments. Couture for Cancer is the natural extension of that generosity.

At the Couture for Cancer website you can find out all about the organization, including how to request a hair replacement system. You can even buy a PINK flat iron, which will support the organization. It’s a bit pricey to my eye, but then again what to I know about flat irons. It might be a bargain at twice the price. This one not only supports a charitable cause, but it’s PINK! That’s gotta be worth something to some of you ladies out there.

*And then May happened, which for a variety of reasons became so busy it has feel the need to spill over into June. June, being a jealous type, has responded with busyness of her own, and all this is to say, “Aja, I’m sorry it’s taken me to long to have a look.”

(And this is supposed to be a fairly slow time at the day job. Someone forgot to pass out the memo… again.)

Post from: Blisstree

Couture for Cancer

Author interview

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Dad’s Bald Head