March 4 2002

Men losing their hair over going bald

Half of men are worried about going bald and many check their pillows each morning for hair, a survey claims.

Single and younger men are twice as likely to worry about going bald than men with partners.

They fear it will affect their chances of attracting women and are worried about mickey-taking from friends. The survey was carried out by a drug company selling a pill to combat baldness.

The survey claims almost one in ten men put themselves through a depressing daily ritual of checking pillows and plugholes for missing hairs.

A third of 18 to 24 year olds say they'd panic about going completely bald at the first sign of hair loss.

More than 40% of single men think that hair loss would lower their chances of getting a date

But the biggest worry they have about hair loss is the teasing from mates such as being called, "Slaphead", "Uncle Fester","Baldy locks" and,"Chrome Dome."

Happily a third of men aged 25 to 34 think baldness improves their sex appeal.

The survey of 634 males aged 18-54 was carried out for drug company Merck, Sharp & Dohme, for the UK launch of their new anti-baldness prescription drug Propecia.

Story filed: 00:35 Monday 4th March 2002