DR. WALLACE: I am a 19-year-old girl and I’ve found more than a few gray hairs on my head. In fact, I found a couple of patches with nearly a dozen in each area! This has me worried big time!
Whenever I notice this, I am shocked and so surprised and disgusted that I just immediately pull them out, but they always seem to grow back in the same spot. What’s up with that?
Why is this happening to me at such a young age? I’m scared and too young to be a gray old lady before I even turn 20!
Is there anything I can do to stop this? — Prematurely gray, via email
PREMATURELY GRAY: Believe it or not, your situation is not all that unusual. Many people have a few gray hairs here and there that seem to have a mind of their own and that do not march to the beat of the rest of the hair surrounding them.
Hopefully you’ll only notice a few such hairs here and there. The good news is that if you do notice more over time, remember that there are many great hair color products available these days.
Mention your situation to both your hairstylist and your doctor and then compare their comments. I trust you’ll find their takes interesting, and hopefully comforting, as well.
I CAN’T STAND HIGH SCHOOL STEREOTYPES
DR. WALLACE: My high school seems to have the same cliches as all the other schools in America.
The first one is that all the jocks are dumb. The second is that the blond girls are likely not good students. The third is that geeky kids must be super smart. The fourth is that the creative kids with the brightly colored hair are all dangerous criminals.
I think this is stupid! Why do kids make assumptions about other kids that they have never met simply by their looks, what they do with their free time or what clothes they wear?
I have more: All of the kids in the band are good-natured. And the rumors that a certain girl is pregnant must be true because she’s hanging out with a guy who has a bad reputation.
How can we, as students and young adults, change any of these things? I can’t stand it when most kids at my school “think” they know who everyone is and what they are like in their personal lives just by looking at them. — Don’t like judging, via email
DON’T LIKE JUDGING: Some things never seem to change on high school campuses, and these types of stereotypes are high up on that list.
What you can do is to make the counterpoint every chance you get. Tell your friends that, since you have not met the person being discussed, you all really don’t know what that person is truly like.
Suggest that before they judge anyone or assume anything about their lives that they first hold a conversation with the person and get to know the person behind the clothes, sports affiliation or blond hair. I trust you’ll all find some unique individuals who have many traits that run counter to the stereotypes. And best of all, those who take the time to speak with others will likely pick up a few new friends along the way.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected] To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
