Every Three Seconds No One Dies from Baldness

Those of you who have been with me a while know I have a soapbox to stand on every now and again. With World Health Day just around the corner, the Science and Health Channel here at b5media has decided to devote our monthly Topic du Jour to global issues. Now I could take the easy route; while alopecia might not be distributed evenly around the globe, the desire for hair does seem to be. But I’m rarely one to take the path of least resistance. Instead, I’m taking a left turn and going here:

Every Three Seconds No One Dies from Baldness

That stat is inspired by the ONE Campaign, who remind us that every three seconds someone does die… a child… of causes directly related to extreme poverty. They remind us that around the world ONE in seven goes to bed hungry each night because they lack access and mean to acquire food. They remind us that One is seven lack access to clean drinking water, perhaps the single greatest boon to health.

A while back I saw a stat that 96% of Caucasian men will experience some hair loss during their life time. I have yet to read about a single hair loss related death.

It seems I give the impression that I am completely against hair replacement and restoration therapies altogether. I’ve been called out in a couple recent comments. I have or will respond directly to those individuals, but in the mean time let me say here that this perception is not true. It’s very rare that you’ll find be taking an extreme, absolute position on anything, and hair replacement is no exception.

I get the psychological and self-esteem issues. I understand how hair loss as a side effect can be the last straw, the last thing a person battling a serious illness just can’t deal with. I also understand how everyday, ordinary age related hair loss can weigh a person down… the messages from the culture… romantic attraction… the reality of aging…. Trust me I get all that. I started losing my hair at age sixteen and was fortunate enough to find an amazing woman who didn’t love me for my luxurious locks. I understand.

At the same time, I am compelled to try to interject a greater scope, a broader perspective into the conversation. Hair loss can be a shock. It can be a difficult adjustment. But for most of us it will never be the end of the world.

A Round up of all Topic du Jour posts can be found over at Veggie Chic.