Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The_Eyeball_Kid]

Bear with me on this one, right?

I have noticed of late that a lot of the male Westerners I know here have got thinning or receding hair. It has been particularly brought to my attention because my own hair has suddenly gone from very thick and lustrous to patchily thin on top.

Having asked around a few people, they have also noticed their own hair behaving in strange ways - foreheads restructuring, tonsures forming, patches thinning. And only - mark this - since they got to Korea.

I bumped into someone I first met six months ago on his first day here and he has transformed from looking ten years younger than he was to five years older than he is. This isn't just because of his forehead advancing towards his nape but also because of a more generalised weariness in his deportment.

And myself too. I saw a photo of myself from last year, after I had just arrived, and I looked distinctly boyish and fresh. Now I look like someone who is close to death through an AIDS-related illness.

I share this to invite comment on your own experience. Have you gone through something similar? Is it something in the water? The pollution? Will my hair grow back if I leave? Whaddya think?

[Riddzy]

I once had a Korean colleague who told me that acid rain caused baldness in Korea. Maybe you should get a better quality umbrella?

[mytime]

Yeah i have experienced the same problem
I went home last year for vacation and I actually seem to look older than my brother who is 5 years older
My hair is also much thinner than his
I keep fit, eat healthy, drink almost never and still look like I suffer from some illness
I have sunken cheeks and almost every day during work my face turns red which made some students think that I'm a boozer....my face also burns sometimes after work untill I wash it with a cleanser
I also feel dirty and sticky basically anytime except right after a shower.
My skin itches too
I dont know what it is...the water maybe or the air or both but I just hope it's not permanent
I have noticed that the water from my shower sometimes smell like it has too much alcaline (sp?) or something in it

[billybrobby]

But you have to keep in mind, most people come here in their mid to late twenties, which is a time when a lot of male balding occurs anyways.

I don't think there are an inordinate amount of bald Koreans, and I find it hard to believe that Korean hair is somehow impervious to something that might make whitey bald. But then again, there are a surprising number of bald women, which makes me kinda nervous.

[mindmetoo]

It's the dwengjang:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3607815.stm