If I say body image, what do you think of? Stomach fat? Thigh gap? Laser hair removal? You probably think of women. And for good reason. Because women get a lot of pressure to look a certain way.  But this happens to men too. And that’s worth talking about. In this episode, we’ll hone in on one aspect of men’s body image: hair loss. First, we’ll take a look inside the thriving hair loss prevention industry and then we’ll explore the underlying motivations that drive men to take drastic measures and how the world of psychotherapy might approach this differently.

This episode is a collaboration with the podcast Mannish, a show all about masculinity and gender.

Meet the Experts

Rob Schene is Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Group Therapist in San Francisco, CA. He specializes in men’s work, both with individuals and groups. Outside of his psychotherapy practice, Rob’s other passion is facilitating men’s nature-based Vision Quests.

Jordan Wolfe is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Seattle, WA where he works with families, adolescents, men and groups. In addition, Jordan is or has been a father, certified yoga teacher, boxing coach, Buddhist monk, Army intelligence analyst, carpenter, and musician.

Molly Merson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Berkeley, CA where she works with grief & loss, adolescents, and teachers, therapists, and tech workers seeking work/life balance. In addition to work with individual clients, Molly also facilitates a grief group.  ​

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Dr. Sheldon Kabaker is a physician in Oakland, CA who specializes in facial plastic surgery with an emphasis on hair restoration. Dr. Kabaker has been practicing since 1964 and teaching since 1976. His work has been published in textbooks and he has served on the board of directors for the American Hair Loss Council.

Morgan Brown is a hair stylist in San Francisco, CA who specializes in men’s cuts. Morgan has been cutting hair for more than 10 years and “understands that men who look their best have the confidence to take on the world…” Morgan works out of Jackson Place Salon in the Financial District. ​

Also consulting with us for this episode were Dr. Bernard P. Nusbaum of Hair Transplant Institute Miami and Dr. Ron Shapiro of Shapiro Medical Group.

Credits

Produced By:
Lily Sloane & Jesse Rhodes
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Music:
Maruumba, Man of Mystery, The Pieces Fit, Mayday in the Morning by Topher M. Lewis
Old Fashioned Auto Piano obtained via creative commons at FreeSound.org

Additional Music & Sound Design by:
Lily Sloane

Other Media:
WTF am I going bald???!!!!

Special thanks to the strangers at the bar for sharing your stories, Lucky 13 for letting us fraternize with microphones on your patio, and Shoshana Walter for your feedback.