Coping with a Receding Hair Line

Dec. 31, 2009— -- If you're like most men, you probably put some time and effort into your hair. Whether washing or drying it, combing or brushing it, cutting or styling it, your hair is an integral part of your identity and appearance.

As the decades pass, your tresses might consume more of your attention. Every glance in the mirror, every grey hair discovered, every run of your fingers through your scalp, and every clump of hair cluttering the shower drain is cause for concern.

For some men, the worries over hair loss may begin in their late teens or early twenties, when they first start to notice a deficit of follicles and a shift in their hairline. Where once was a thick, lush mane, there is now a sparseness or patchiness. Temples or crowns that were once covered with locks are now thinning and revealing themselves. Men might look at their father's and older brother's heads to anticipate their follicular future, and they might not like what they see.

In this video diary, you'll hear one man's story as he struggled with the realities and frustrations of losing his hair in his twenties and thirties.

"I remember one time I was at work and a co-worker came up to me and she was like, 'Wow, you're really bald on top,' and that just killed me. That didn't just ruin my day -- that stayed with me," recalled Adam Khoudja, a police officer and army National Guardsman from Wayne, N.J.

Khoudja decided to do something about his hair loss -- and his decision would involve surgery.