Male pattern baldness is a fact of life, but that doesn’t meant that everyone is ok with it. Sometimes adult children of men that are going bald would like to talk to their Dad about it, but don’t know how to start or what to say. If your father is going bald, and you suspect that it is bothering him and making him unhappy, how can you talk to him about it?

Men find it hard to talk about things that are bothering them, even to their children. Sometimes they find it easier to talk to a friend or even a stranger, so don’t be surprised if your Dad is reluctant to address his feelings about hair loss with you at first.

It can help to find some common ground to begin with, so you could start by mentioning somebody that you both know such as a neighbour, or an actor or sports personality on TV. Think of somebody that has thinning hair or has recently gone bald, or shaved all of their hair off because it was beginning to thin. If you can’t think of anyone yourself, you can Google this and there are lots of celebrity gossip websites that write about male hair loss. Talking about how someone else has lost their hair gives your Dad the chance to air his feelings on the subject, without making it too personal.

Try to keep it positive, and keep the statements open, in order to allow your father to offer his own thoughts. Saying something like “He looks great with cropped hair. I wonder if he’s ok with it, or if it bothered him to shave it all off like that?”

Is more open than saying “This guy went bald, what do you think of his haircut now?”

If your Dad is negative about it, or makes it clear he doesn’t want to talk, you can choose to directly ask him if his own hair loss is bothering him. Some men respond best to directness, and others will shut down, so only you can predict how he’ll respond, and even then he might surprise you! 

If you do manage to get your Dad talking about his hair loss, pay attention first to whether it’s making him feel down or depressed. He might not say he’s depressed, but if he’s more angry or irritable or despondent about it, it could be that he feels down. 

This is a good time to remind your father that he has lots of options, from a change of haircut to improve the appearance of his hair, prescription drugs, modern solutions like contemporary toupees and hairpieces (which look natural and are able in some cases to be worn to the gym or sports field), and even the ultimate solution – a hair transplant.

The hair transplant Turkey market is a good place to start when discussing a hair transplant. They are a lot less expensive, and the quality of care is still excellent. You could even suggest a consultation with a company such as MedAway, to discuss his hair transplant options.