We all know that men do go through bouts of depression when they start losing hair and growing bald. The initial stage is one of denial where they refuse to concede that they are losing hair. Then comes the stage of panic, where they start associating themselves with all the notions that society links with baldness. Such negative thoughts force them into depression when they stop socializing and try and shut out the outside world. But slowly comes the acceptance. And with acceptance they either try to learn to live with the bald patch, or they act on it and try the different hair-restoration techniques that are available.

However the effects on women are much more severe. The psychological effect on women is much more serious than in the case of men as many scientific studies have revealed.

The primary reason for women to react more than men is because society has shaped our thoughts in such a way that for any woman her appearance is much more important than it is for a man. Losing hair is straightaway associated with a deterioration in one's appearance. In fact if we look at our literature and arts, we will see that any beautiful woman is depicted as one with long flowing hair. Even if in modern art we get to see women with short hair they are never bald. So there is a serious problem. In a way it seems that society isn't even ready to accept that there are bald women.

Again, society has also emphasized particularly a woman's hair as an integral part of her beauty. It is like her 'crowning glory'. When she loses her hair, she perceives it as a loss of that glory. Such perceptions are sure to lead to loss of self-esteem.

The problem is compounded by the fact that a woman seldom finds a support system to fall back on. Since the male form of baldness is more common, it has generally been accepted in society. In fact, men often have friends joking about hair loss, and those who can take it in good spirit can learn to accept the baldness. With women the situation is totally different. Even her family doesn't have much to offer. Society is still not mature enough to tackle the issue.

Women can be devastated with the loss of their hair to the point that they keep thinking about it all the time. Then there are also those who are less bothered and only consider that the hair loss may have made them a bit less attractive among men, but won't change their life completely.

Studies have shown that the number of women who are seriously distressed by the fact of their baldness is about twice that of men. They felt more anxiety and helplessness. They had serious concerns about their decreased attractiveness. In fact, they perceived a serious dip in their quality of life.

Women generally adopt a few strategies to deal with this loss. While some try to hide it behind a wig, others try to solicit advice from a hair stylist and develop a style that would hide their hair loss. They can even become more conscious about the rest of their appearance just to divert the attention from their hair.

Since the impact is so severe it becomes imperative that she talks to someone and come up with a real plan to deal with it. The best person to talk to is generally the dermatologist. The doctor can trace the cause of hair loss and advise her about the treatment of the problem.

Being an expert, he will have more concrete answers. He can even suggest a few alternatives from which the woman can choose her option. She can even consider visiting a hair-replacement surgeon if her dermatologist suggests so.

It should be borne in mind that a woman's hair loss should never be ignored or underestimated as it has severe psychological implications. The cause of hair loss needs to be investigated and traced and proper action should be taken to reverse the process, if possible. Most of the problems today are curable, either through medicines or surgery. All the options should be explored. A woman also deserves proper support from her near ones. No one should ridicule or make fun of her hair loss, even in the spirit of a joke, because such humor may not go down well.

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