Pexels/Reddit
Hair loss can be an emotional journey, especially when it starts early in life.
For one man in his twenties, denial and hope have kept him clinging to the last strands, even as genetics paint a different picture.
His girlfriend (who’s been watching it unfold for years) begins to wonder if she should speak up or let him navigate the crisis on his own.
Keep reading for the full story.
My (23F) boyfriend (25M) has been going bald/losing hair for as long as I’ve known him (5 years), and to my understanding, it started maybe a year or two prior to us meeting.
In his teens, he had relatively long hair for a guy and often wore it curly or in twists. It was something he really prided himself on.
But the balding has been building for some time now.
But even now, when he shows me old photos, it’s clear to me that the hairline receding/tension alopecia probably started sometime around 18 or 19.
I met him at 20 when he was already sporting a low fade due to progressing hair loss.
She makes it clear that his hair loss is pretty much a non-issue for her.
Regardless, I’ve always found him very handsome and constantly remind him that he will still be handsome even if he decides to cut off the hair he still has left.
He refuses, claiming to be too young and that he wants to experiment with other hair loss prevention methods (derma-rolling daily, minoxidil, maybe even a hair transplant).
To her, it’s pretty much a lost cause.
But unfortunately, in his case, I think this may just be genetic, and I’m not sure how to say it in a nice way.
His mom even shared that when she met his dad (somewhere between 21–24 years old), he was already bald himself.
To my knowledge, most of the men in his family I have met are bald, and even old photos show most of them without hair.
She doesn’t think him delaying the inevitable will do him any favors.
I respect that he wants to continue other means, but each time someone points it out or even comments that he practically looks bald already—specifically when his hair is cut really low—he is clearly mortified, and it breaks my heart to see it sometimes.
I want to approach the subject respectfully, as I don’t know how it feels to be a man going bald prematurely, but I think in the end he’ll save himself a lot of strife if he just cuts it all off now.
WIBTA to tell him it’s time?
It’s hard to watch your partner go through something like this.
What did Reddit think?
This is clearly a pride thing for her boyfriend, so she should try and help him help himself before just resigning to genetics.
She should try and understand just how hard this must be to experience firsthand.
At the end of the day, the decision on what to do with his hair should be his and his alone.
Ultimately it’s best to tread lightly here.
Sometimes true support means staying quiet and letting your partner make decisions for themselves.
If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.
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Tags: · aita, bald, balding, genetics, hair loss, hairline, hairline receding, picture, reddit, relationship drama, self esteem, self image, supporting your partner, top