Does Hair Loss Affect Career Prospects?
How did you look at your last interview? Most likely, you made an effort to wear appropriate attire and took care to make sure you hair looked clean and tidy. That’s normal; everyone wants to make a good impression and stand out from the crowd when meeting a potential employer. But can such things as clothes and hairstyles affect your ability to move up the career ladder once you’ve got the job? A recent article in Management Today suggests that they might and looks at a range of factors that workers seeking promotion should pay attention to.
While dress sense may seem an obvious factor, would you consider height, weight and hair to make a difference to your career prospects? Apparently they do; tall people earn more than shorter people while thinner employees earn more than their obese counterparts. When it comes to hair, Corrinne Mills, MD of Personal Career Management, pointed out that men and women should keep their hair tidy and in a current style. But what about hair loss? While some experts say that bald men are at a disadvantage in the job steaks, others say that male hair loss is not a barrier to promotion. No doubt, it varies between companies, and when hair loss is not a problem, this is a likely consequence of the fact that Male Pattern Baldness affects over two-thirds of men that are of working age, and that men have dominated senior jobs for many years.
So does female hair loss affect a woman’s promotion prospects? Female Pattern (genetic) Hair loss affects approximately 40-50% of women and leads to an all-over thinning. The thinning often becomes more severe during the menopause and can easily affect a woman’s confidence; for some it may be so distressing that it becomes difficult to exceed expectations and push for a promotion. This is largely to do with the fact that a woman’s appearance and self-image is so closely tied to her hair. The article in Management Today made reference to some recent research undertaken by the University of Florida that showed that ‘good-looking’ people earn more and go further in their professional lives. The author of the research, Timothy Judge told Management Today, “Little is known about why there are income disparities between the good-looking and the not-so-good-looking. Even accounting for intelligence, a person’s feeling of self-worth is enhanced by how attractive they are and this, in turn, results in higher pay.” Judge does not say how he determined what qualifies a person to be ‘good-looking’ or ‘not-so-good-looking’, however it is easy to see how hair loss can make some women and men feel unattractive and how this in turn lowers their confidence and their chances for promotion.
There are bald women out there, such as TV presenter and Alopecia Areata sufferer Gail Porter, who show how beautiful women can be without hair, but the fact remains that many men and women prefer the way they look with their locks. This is where the correct hair loss treatment can be of help. When it comes to Androgenetic Alopecia (Male Pattern Baldness and Female Pattern Hair Loss), there are only two treatments that have been found safe and effective. Minoxidil (for men and women) and Propecia (for men only) have undergone clinical trials and been licensed by the MHRA and FDA-approved in the UK and USA respectively. They work best when used as part of a tailored treatment programme which the Belgravia Centre can prescribe and prepare through its in-house registered pharmacy. To see the kind of re-growth that the centre’s male and female clients experience, just click on the hair loss success stories link.
If you would like to discuss how treatments can work for you, contact Belgravia for a free consultation with a specialist. To book an appointment, call 020 7730 6666 or message the centre. Alternatively, complete the online diagnostic form for a consultation via the website and a mail order treatment service.
More Information
Hair Loss in Men
Hair Loss in Women
Hair Loss Products Explained
Interesting Articles
I’m Hair for the Job
How Hair Loss Affects Your Image
When First Impressions Last
