Is hair loss affecting your career?

People feel that losing their hair affects their chances at progressing in a career, but studies do not show this to be true.

The summary of these studies is not to allow your hair loss to affect your self-esteem enough to think that you won't get promoted, because it generally doesn't make a difference to your boss.

However, if you become less outgoing, it may affect your ability to do your job properly.

The big bald question: Which hat to wear while jogging?

It's that time of year again, the time when summer is long gone, the long winter nights are threatening to creep in and the urge to stay snuggled up at home until next spring is strong. Nothing wrong with that, of course, except staying at home tends to mean not going to the gym and I can already feel my waistline making room for this year's Christmas dinner.

The solution, naturally, is to go jogging, and that's exactly what I'm going to do (as often as possible between now and when the leaves start to grow back on the trees). The problem caused by this solution is that I'm even more self aware of being bald when I'm running than when I'm just walking around trying to mind my own business. No doubt Richard Dawkins would say that's because people have developed to pay attention to moving objects, I'd say it's because they like to point and laugh at shiny things. Anyway, the way round this is obviously to wear a hat, but which one? Having a had a quick look in the cupboard my choices are as follows:

- A fluffy thing with ear flaps which tie together under your chin, the kind of thing Sherlock Holmes would wear if he worked on a Russian trawler.

- A round thing which belongs to my girlfriend and appears to be made of leather. I don't really know how to describe it better but the important point is it's too small for me so I'd have to run with one hand held to my head to stop it blowing away.

- A motorcycle helmet.

Now, perhaps I'm being picky but none of the above really strikes me as suitable for use while huffing and puffing round the block. I may just have to wait until it gets dark and go out then.

Then again, I've always fancied being a famous detective...

Baldness and self esteem

Self esteem is something most of us struggle with at some stage or another, regardless of whether or not we're affected by hair loss (or the fear of hair loss). Looking back at my own experience of losing my hair, though, I'm often surprised at how calmly I accepted the loss of my mighty mane.

I wish I could say that was because I'm a strong person with a well developed sense of self esteem and losing my hair was something I could just brush off (along with the hair on my shoulders). That wouldn't be true, however. I think it's closer to the truth to say that I just didn't have much self confidence to begin with and as a result didn't have a lot to lose. I'm still trying to work out whether or not that's a good thing.

Until tomorrow then. I'm a baldy, hear me roar!