Heathrow’s New Writer-in-Residence Alain de Botton on Baldness
Philosopher, author and TV programme maker Alain de Botton is spending the next week in Heathrow Airport to collect observations for his new book. The Swiss-born writer explains that airports reveal the pinnicle of modern civilisation - ”high technology, globalisation, environmental threat and consumerism”. De Botton says they are places with “high emotion on display” where “people think no-one is looking”. He will be gathering material for a new book that will be published on September 21st. There will be 10,000 copies printed and given out free to passengers. For this project, De Botton has been sponsored by BAA which owns Heathrow and several other UK airports.
De Botton offers insightful and intellectual meditations on everyday life and became popular for such books as The Art of Travel and How Proust Can Change Your Life. His most recent book is called The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. So does the balding writer have any deep insights on hair loss? The 39-year old recently spoke about his looks in The Guardian.
While some may regard the author as handsome, De Botton seems to think the opposite, although he believed this worked in his favour for his TV career: “Apparently, classically handsome presenters can find their looks count against them in arts TV. Ugliness seems proof of sincerity”. He recounts how his wife, when she first met him, said “I’ve always loved strange-looking men,” and when they go out he says it’s like, “Angelina Jolie’s younger sister taking the Elephant Man for a spin”.
De Botton says he has now “settled into an entirely functional relationship” with his appearance but that his younger years were tough. As a teenager he felt “a desperate lack of confidence”. He says that by 20 he started losing his hair and by 25 it was almost gone, “a daunting young age to confront something associated with the over-50s”. While De Botton is right in saying that most people connect baldness with old age, in fact most men will begin to see early signs of hair loss in their 20s or 30s.
However, if treated early enough, it is possible to prevent further hair loss and see re-growth. There are two proven hair loss treatments, Minoxidil and Propecia, that men can use. They work well when combined with hair growth boosters as part of an individualised treatment programme.
If you are suffering from thinning hair or hair loss, it is important to get an accurate diagnosis. The Belgravia Centre offers free consultations. Please call 020 7730 6666 or message the clinic. Alternatively, complete the online diagnostic form for a consultation via the website.
More Information:
Hair Loss in Men
Don’t Lose It: Prevent and Treat Hair Loss
Hair Loss Product Reviews
Hair Growth Success Stories
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Why Men Worry About Baldness But Do Nothing
