By Pongsak Sarnsamak

THAILAND: Baldness is a big fear for most Thai men, says a new survey, but some stars just shine with it.

Hollywood actor Bruce Willis, famous Thai journalist Suthichai Yoon and Bangkok-based Australian media personality Andrew Biggs have more than being famous in common--they have just been recognised as the coolest bald guys around, according to Suan Dusit Poll in Bangkok.

Topping the list of cool baldies is popular news host and Nation Multimedia Group editor in chief Suthichai, followed by the Hollywood star and the Austrialian media personality.

The findings were released on October 22 as part of the Suan Dusit Poll survey, which asked 469 men aged 25 to 40 - 262 traffic policemen, 105 golfers and 102 engineers, about their attitudes to hairloss and baldness.

That hairloss scares Thai males was confirmed when one third said it would cause them embarrassment and loss of confidence. But the news isn't all bad for baldies. The majority of respondents relate baldness with millionaires and scientists.

Strength and vigour

Hair is symbolic of young people, strength and vigour," said Dr Anchulee Teeravongpaisai, a Police Hospital psychologist, adding that men with hair loss problems often lose confidence and can face depression and social phobia if they don't receive appropriate advice and treatment.

"They would feel like all eyes are catching up on their bald hair."

Almost half of respondents prefer to keep their hair short or shaved if they experience moderate hair loss. Only 4 per cent say they prefer to go with Korean hairstyles. Thirty-six per cent of them say they want to have skinhead hairdoes to rebuild their confidence after losing hair.

Only 4 per cent prefer to wear wigs while 1 per cent want to go for tattoos.

Nevertheless, being bald doesn't only mean cool for many but it also means ease of handling. Thirty-five per cent of respondents point that the benefit of baldness is ease of washing the head. Twenty per cent say there is no need to comb or brush hair.

Komsan Thepkitarrekul, business manager of MSD who initiated the survey with Suan Dusit Poll, said the results reveal the psychological impact of a receding hairline on Thai men. Sixty-nine per cent of the traffic policemen surveyed admit that hair loss is their worry. Most of them believe wearing a helmet could cause or accelerate hair loss.

Causes of hair loss

Dr Udomsak Hoonwijit of Chulalongkorn Hospital said that there is a lot of misunderstanding about the real causes of hair loss. "Numerous medical studies from around the world have confirmed that 95 per cent of male hair loss is due to genetic causes."

He suggested traffic policemen stop worrying about their helmets and start caring for their scalps with regular washing.

Women's attitudes

The survey also asked 108 woman how they would deal with hair loss in their partners. Seventy-two per cent said they would give moral support and search for treatment information.

The bad news is that 3 per cent said they would dump partners who become bald and two per cent even said they would be tempted to have affairs.

The Nation/Asia News Network