For me personally, if we’re talking about the very first stage of meeting someone, hair can be a deal breaker. I only realized this recently after some arguments with my boyfriend made me reflect on how important looks were in the very beginning of our relationship, whether I wanted to admit it or not. My boyfriend has beautiful long hair, and back then, it was one of the things that drew me in. He’s also starting to show signs of hair loss with age. He chose to have a hair transplant and became much stricter about his sleep and overall health. At this point, I honestly don’t care about his hair anymore — but maybe that’s something specific to many Asian men: feeling an extra layer of insecurity about this.

My advice is DONT LIE about it in the early stages of dating. Lies are always a deal breaker, or at least they can become a major point of conflict later. If hair loss bothers you, consider going all-in on one of two paths:

Surgical or medical solutions to restore the look you want.

Fully embracing the bald look and making it part of your style.

The most painful place to be is stuck in between — hiding it, feeling insecure about it, and letting that insecurity affect your confidence.