Demedicalizing baldness: An experimental, mixed methods study

Baldness is a common bodily change most men experience. It is extensively medicalized. Specifically, it is depicted as a negative disease that only a profitable industry’s cosmetic, pharmaceutical and other products can ‘treat’. This study aimed to assess whether a short demedicalization intervention, an evidence-based text of around 400 words, could promote acceptance among balding men. An international sample of 350 balding men completed a mixed-method, experimental, survey. Participants were randomized into 1 of 3 conditions with text that medicalized baldness (presented it as a disadvantageous disease requiring ‘treatment’ akin to anti-baldness advertising), that demedicalized baldness (presented it neutrally in an evidenced-based manner emphasizing informed consent) or with no text (control). Quantitative scale responses indicated lower medicalized coping and higher acceptance coping, but no differences in distress among participants exposed to demedicalized information. The medicalized information did not have an effect on any of the quantitative scales. Participants also qualitatively reported feeling more informed, more accepting, less distressed and less misled in the demedicalized condition than the medicalized condition. Despite negative pressures around baldness, a short demedicalized intervention may be useful to promote more informed, accepting and positive responses to baldness. Such an intervention is scalable and could be distributed easily (e.g., via online articles or videos). Future research should test the feasibility of lengthier interventions to demedicalize baldness and other bodily aspects (e.g., cellulite, genital variation and height).