Hair is such an awkward thing to deal with. You can spend a fortune on keeping it, and still worry yourself to death when you lose it. For men in particular, baldness is a nightmare that is constantly shadowing them. Wig and hairpiece ads abound, offering many approaches to choose from, ranging from "micro-point" to "shape memory hair" and "gradually increasing hair." Pharmaceutical companies are also doing a roaring trade, from "101 Hair-growing Lotion" to the latest "Regaine" potion; proprietors themselves vouch for their effectiveness, and secret formulas of all kinds abound.

Is baldness really on the increase? Taiwan University dermatologist Chen Chao-hsu thinks the population of bald people is not necessarily rising, it's just that more people are turning to "hair protection" through concern over their image. But overseas surveys have shown baldness is spreading "up top" in highly civilized countries among high-density urban populations and overstressed workers. It's more and more common for people talented and handsome in their youth to be struck by baldness with the onset of middle age, and growing numbers of people are worried about hair loss once they turn 25.

A Chinese saying goes, "nine men out of ten are bald, and nine out of ten baldies are rich," but today people would rather spend their money on saving their hair. A head of thick black hair is often a symbol of youthful vigor, and without it you suddenly age ten or twenty years. lt's funny but painful for some bald people in their thirties to find people offering them seats on the bus. No wonder some people are so worried they check in the mirror first thing every morning in case a few more hairs have dropped out.

So people often say: "Anyone who comes up with a cure for cancer or baldness could win the Nobel Prize." Comparing baldness to a terminal illness may show how anxious people are, but is baldness actually an illness in itself?

According to Dr. Wu Ying-chun of National Taiwan University Hospital's dermatology department, "baldness is actually a kind of symptom, either an epidermal symptom of serious illness or a just a sign of a hereditary gene."

Types of baldness due to disease include pityriasic baldness and syphilitic baldness, while chronic diseases such as diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus or colitis can also lead to drastic hair loss. Research in the past 20 years has shown that abnormal hair growth seems to be closely linked to diseases of certain organs, so abnormal hair loss should never be taken lightly.

But ordinary baldness, "male baldness," is carried from the mother's womb. When it comes to family heredity, men are particularly prone to be affected by their mother's latent genes, so it isn't necessarily passed on by the father.

According to Wu Ying-chun, heredity usually makes some people's scalp hair follicles liable to react abnormally to male hormones, which is why the baldness rate among men is as high as 40 percent, and only eunuchs are totally immune; but occasionally women may also "strike lucky," often after the menopause, due to reduced estrogen. Temporary baldness may also be caused by heavy use of contraceptive pills or during post-partum recuperation.

Tri-Service General Hospital dermatologist Hsu Wen-chung says that people constitution ally disposed to male baldness usually have oily skin. Excessive fat beneath the skin reduces the blood supply to the scalp, starving the hair follicles of nutrition. Their hair goes the opposite way to most people's as they get older, gradually changing from normal hair to weak, fine "lanugo hair," finally leading to baldness.

Among the latent causes for baldness we are all convinced do exist, "over-taxing the brain" or excessive worry and anxiety are undoubtedly the most often blamed. Many workaholics who are dedicated to their job suffer from scalp trouble. Maybe the old saying about "nine out of ten bald men are rich" referred to just such people. After all, numerous bald pates are to be found among prominent political figures, captains of industry, sterling office workers or celebrated scientists.

One perruquier has calculated that most of his clients are computer workers, followed by politicians. Interestingly enough, it was reported recently that one opposition party figure still had a luxuriant head of black hair when he got married, but according to his wife he worried so much once he got into politics that his hair went into full-scale retreat, and today he's as bald as a coot!

Successful psychodrama therapist Cho Ming's trademark is his gleaming bald head. He recalls that he began losing his hair in large quantities when he left home in his twenties to study at the Political Cadre School, "There was a lot of psychological pressure then and I didn't know how to release it, a lot of garbage piled up in my psyche, giving me curvature of the spine and rounded shoulders." It's his guess that people today tend to want to meet challenges, but if they grit their teeth whenever they encounter a difficulty, "it's easy to get problems."

Apart from psychological factors causing male baldness, another mortal enemy of the smooth-headed is circular baldness. This symptom often appears between the ages of 20 and 40 among men and women alike, and although its causes are still unclear, it is thought to be due to the body's autoimmunity and in a minority of cases is accompanied by pathologic changes to the immune system such as leukoderma, diabetes, and disturbance of the thyroid function. Another common cause is due to emotional effects. People with a choleric disposition who easily get angry, pregnant women with fears about pregnancy, or young people under pressure of college cotrance exams are all prone to develop a bald patch.

The onset of this type of baldness has been likened to a "ghostly tonsure" because it happens so imperceptibly. It may be discovered by your hairdresser at the beauty parlor, or perhaps you wake up one day to find hair on your pillow, and lo and behold there's a patch of scalp the size of a coin or an egg, perfectly devoid of hair. Near the root end the fallen hair is fine and paler in color, like an exclamation mark; while the hair surrounding the spreading bald patch has turned lighter and finer and is easily plucked out.

This kind of hair loss is often replaced naturally in six months to a year. But as it's best to "set a thief to catch a thief," if the cause is psychological pressure it's best to apply a psychological treatment. Still, with some people hair loss is never replaced, and separate "lakes" of baldness will gradually join together to form a "Mediterranean sea" in the middle of their scalp. Now in her thirties, Mrs. Liu used to take a pride in her head of black hair, but five years ago she started losing sleep through moonlighting at day and night jobs and was worried over her husband having an affair, so she was constantly tense and soon discovered that she'd developed a bald patch. She visited several hospitals for an examination without any cause being pinpointed, but as her condition continued to worsen she grew depressed and lost even what little hair she was still able to grow, so now she has no choice but to wear a wig when she goes out.

Wearing a hairpiece seems to be the last card of the bald. To keep up appearances and preserve your image, the only options are to consider having a hair transplant or wearing a toupee. Others such as Mr. Tsai at the Ministry of Economic Affairs who take a longer view and remind themselves that there's already too much deception in the world, counter philosophically that "there's no need to cheat the public yet again." Actually the best news for bald people would be if psychological blocks such as inferiority complexes could be overcome, or if the aesthetic outlook of society as a whole were to undergo a sea change.

"If you don't have hair to flaunt, then flaunt your scalp." In America there's been a bald people's club in existence for 18 years with a membership of 18,000 and branches in 50 states and over 30 countries round the world. Every year they hold a beauty contest to choose the sexiest, shiniest, roundest and most kissable bald heads. Last time Mr. Gorbachev visited the United States he was elected an honorary member of the club! It looks as if "accept it and be proud of it" is the most effective remedy at present.

[Picture Caption]

Someone once said that there are two surefire ways to get the Nobel Prize: discover a cure for cancer or a cure for baldness! (photo by Pu Hua-chih)

(cartoon by Chu Teh-yung)

（cartoon by Chu Teh-yung）