Baldness

As Bald (also baldhead, colloquially plate ) refers to the top of the human head when there is no hair available to him, or they were shaved. Recently, the head shaving has found its way into the palette of fashionable styles.

The age-related baldness, which occurs (after the menopause), especially in men and rare in women is often judged negatively in Western cultures: It is considered a sign of age and sometimes as unattractive. The hair loss in men ( androgenetic alopecia also ) usually begins with a receding hairline and assumes progressive forms, which are described by the Hamilton - Norwood schema. When not gender- or age-specific hair loss (alopecia areata ), starting create a complete baldness of small hairless patches in a few months. This also applies to children.

With some drugs, such as cytostatics, ionizing radiation and various diseases such as Sezary syndrome can also occur bald. In contrast to the natural balding thereby fall into the rule but from all other body hair.

Long hair is considered from time immemorial as a sign of fertility and vitality. The voluntary baldness, however, is often a conscious recognition feature, in a religious context as a sign of renunciation, with soldiers in women to underline the androgyny. So a head Chur is also a sign of explicit membership of a subculture ( though bear the traditionally close-cropped hair) as skinheads, in some homosexual circles or religious groups, as Buddhist monks, formerly also known as tonsure in Christian monks. In many armies shearing a bald head served as a rite of passage. For some years it has come in men in fashion, the hair completely to shave himself, especially when bare spots are already easily available and this should be hidden with the complete baldness.

On the other hand, the ( involuntary ) Chur head as punishment known to punish people who expose publicly to denounce and humiliate them. For example, shaved Resistance forces in France from about 1943 women, that too narrow a ratio to Wehrmacht soldiers accused (see also: Crew child).

People who want to hide their baldness have the opportunity to a wig or a toupee to wear. From the United States came in the middle of the 1990s, the method can be applied to hair by hair transplant on bald spots. In 1999, the drug Propecia against hereditary hair loss on the market.

According to a study conducted in 2012 by Albert man from the Wharton Business School baldness is socially judged differently this time. He found out that the bald head of size, respect and power is. Hairless act dominant and powerful. They were judged larger in the experiment by an average of 2.5 cm. Other properties that are associated with bald aggression, masculinity, competitiveness and success. In contrast, toupees and hair überkämmte gaps act as ridiculous.