Thursday, October 21, 2010

Baldness!

Two out of roughly 500 posts on this blog really stand out for visitor numbers. The Nr.2 is this picture 
on the post Appropriate. I know sex is a selling point for most products us mortals can buy, but berets... It still amazes me.
The Nr.1 I actually find more interesting: the post Baldness and Berets. In my naivety, I thought it would make a good post for April Fools' Day, but I realize now, many 1000's of visitors later, that the subject must be treated with utmost seriousness. 
Well, for all you readers who have real concern about wearing a beret: berets do not cause baldness! It is a myth, and a very strong one at that. I quote the Hair Loss Advisor:
"The myth about headwear causing baldness has been passed around for generations by men who found themselves going bald shortly after entering military service. This of course led to questions about the cause of loss, and theories that tight-fitting military berets were the reason so many military personnel start losing their hair.

Patterns of genetically caused Baldness


Another way that the myth has been spread is through western (so-called “cowboy”) culture. Balding cowboys are fairly common, and because they typically wear cowboy hats, it is part of western folklore that this is what causes a man to lose his tresses, so to speak. The answer to all these questions, though, is that baldness and loss of hair simply do not occur from wearing any sort of hat. Male hair loss causes are related to genetics and heredity, not to the wearing of hats."

The beret certainly did not effect Che Guevara's hair growth...
One possible exemption to the rule is the wearing of a tight fitting (partly)synthetic beret in very warm conditions, but who would like to do this anyway?
I sincerely hope this helps...

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