Java Talk: Are You Suffering From Hair Loss?

A reader wrote to me recently and asked if I'd put hair loss out there for discussion. I told her I would.

From The American Hair Loss Association...

"Mistakenly thought to be a strictly male disease, women actually make up forty percent of American hair loss sufferers. Hair loss in women can be absolutely devastating for the sufferer's self image and emotional well being.

Unfortunately, society has forced women to suffer in silence. It is considered far more acceptable for men to go through the same hair loss process. 

Even more unfortunately, the medical community also treats the issue of women's hair loss as if it were nonexistent. Since hair loss doesn't appear to be life threatening, most physicians pay little attention to women's complaints about hair loss and essentially tell their patients that "it's no big deal", and that "you'll just have to live with it."

Of course what these physicians don't seem to realize is that the psychological damage caused by hair loss and feeling unattractive can be just as devastating as any serious disease, and in fact, can take an emotional toll that directly affects physical health.

The American Hair Loss Association recognizes that hair loss in women is a serious life altering condition that can no longer be ignored by the medical community and society as a whole."

If you or someone you love suffers from hair loss and the subsequent devastating effects, could you please join this discussion and share your thoughts and experiences?