How I reversed male-pattern baldness and got back almost full head of hair after progressively balding for 20 years

Almost two thirds of men around the world experience male-pattern baldness known as androgenetic alopecia, leading to loss of confidence and social anxiety.

It all started when I was around 19 years old. I experienced excessive hair loss, thinning of hair and a receding hairline. I was not alarmed at as I had exceptionally dense hair and I did not make much of a difference, rather this hair loss made my hair a little more manageable. Moreover I thought this was due to lack of hair care and erratic lifestyle owing to hostel life.

Time went by and in another 3 years, people started noticing a tiny bald patch emerging on the crown of my head. I started oiling my hair regularly and started taking care of my lifestyle to reverse this pattern. Thereafter I got busy with my career and did not pay much attention to this.

After a few more years, I had gotten habituated to my new look and nothing was alarming, except that I was losing hair at an alarming rate, hair by hair.

Onset of Male-Pattern Baldness

By the time I reached my 30s, the patterns of male baldness were clearly visible with a sizeable bald patch on the crown and a hairline, now non existent. This is when I started getting paranoid about my hair loss and began trying various products that claimed to bring my hair back but nothing worked. Gradually I came to accept my balding process as fate but deep down it started impacting my psychology and confidence. I started avoiding center stage and limelight everywhere I went.

Things went from bad to worse and slowly I reached forties. By this time, there were only a few patches of hair left on the back of my head and sides. Rest of the scalp had gone bald and even the patches of hair that were there were very thin and lifeless.

I even forgot that I had a head full of hair once upon a time and that I also looked good. When no remedies or routines worked, I was thinking to myself, should I shave my head and go completely bald? That way it would appear more of a choice than a desperate attempt at hiding my baldness. I had heard about hair transplants but they were expensive and there was no guarantee of retaining transplanted hair for a longer period, plus I had heard about drastic and crippling side effects in some cases.

The Turning Point

More years went by and by the time I reached 45, it had stopped mattering and a resigned lifestyle had become the norm. Then one day, I read an article that mentioned hair loss was reversible and one could get back their hair without hair transplants. Just out of curiosity, I read that article though there was nothing new but it rekindled interest in my hair. The article had mentioned that some non invasive treatments can reverse hair loss and even regrow lost hair to some extent.

Anyways, I visited a dermatologist who specialized in hair care and transplant and advised me what was already expected. Go for a hair transplant! I told the doctor clearly, I was not in for it and if there was anything else he could do, please go ahead. Sensing my mood, he reluctantly wrote down a prescription and warned me there was very little I could expect from that.

After I returned, I searched on the internet and found that the prescription that the doctor had given me was the only approach of trying to reverse baldness without hair transplant. Once convinced I tried to give a try. One thing for sure, I thought if I was going to give it a try, I would follow the routine as strictly as possible and will not miss even a single dose of treatment.

Once I started the treatment, the remaining hair also started falling and my scalp developed a lot of irritation and started getting frequent headaches. Upon researching on the internet and consulting the doctor again, I was convinced the body and the scalp were reacting to the new line of treatment and everything would resolve in a few months, however everywhere on the internet and the doctor himself mentioned that don’t expect much results and you cannot get a full head of hair now without a hair transplant.

Not wanting to give up, I endured the side effects and ensured that I did not miss even a single dose of treatment for the next 3-4 months. After about 4 months, my family members started noticing very thin, colour less and fragile hair in the bald spots. These hair meant nothing as they are not even visible unless you looked carefully. On the other hand, most of the remaining hair had also thinned considerably due to this treatment, so my head and personality both were in a mess. I would have stopped the treatment at this time because the advice and the results were both discouraging. However I decided to go on!

Another couple of months passed and by now, those thin colourless hair had started thickening and becoming black and the hair loss of the remaining hair had completely stopped. From then there was no looking back and in another 3 months, there was hardly any bald patch left on my scalp and the hairline had started moving back towards my forehead. By the time, one year of treatment had passed, the density of hair on my scalp had returned to the levels that I had in my twenties, still not completely reversed though because by the time I was in my twenties, I had already lost about 30 percent of hair.

More time passed and now after 18 months of treatment, I enjoy a full head of hair, almost as thick and heavy as it used to be around the time when the balding started and now I can style my hair in different styles as I please. One thing more, the newly grown hair are all dark brown, the original colour of my hair in my teens. So if someone looks only at my hair they can’t tell they are of a 45 plus year old man!

All the side effects of the treatment subsided by the time I had reached sixth month of treatment so even that problem was sorted.

The results of the treatment that I took have exceeded expectations of everyone including the doctor who treated me and wrote me the magical prescription. However everyone including the doctor said that the prescription was only effective if followed religiously without missing doses or giving up completely. Patience paid off!

Treatment for Male-Pattern Baldness

Here is the treatment that the doctor prescribed to me.

• Finesteride – In the form of tablets, one tablet daily after dinner
• Minoxidil – In the form of a lotion to be applied on the bald patches of the scalp, twice daily
• Vitamin Supplements – One capsule daily after dinner
• Mineral Supplements – One tablet daily after breakfast

I have purposely not written the brand names of the medicines that were given to me because one has to be careful while taking this medication as it has serious side effects and can interfere with a lot of normal physiological processes of the body. None of the above medications are available as over the counter medications. You should visit your trichologist/dermatologist to get this line of treatment prescribed and should be taken under medical supervision.

Side Effects of Male-Pattern Baldness Treatment

The above prescription gave me lot of side effects as mentioned below:

• Irritation, redness of scalp initially
• Headaches
• Indigestion and bowel irregularities
• Reduced libido and erectile dysfunction

However, in my case I found that all of the above side effects resolved on their own after about six months and from the then on there were only benefits.

Final Advice – Reversing Male-Pattern Baldness

Regrowing hair after experiencing male-pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia) is not easy, rather next to impossible without hair transplant. So if you decide to take my route and regrow hair naturally you will need to ensure the following points:

• You will require a mountain of patience, administering the treatment without any visible results for the first 6 months or so
• Be ready to endure the irritating and crippling side effects of the medication for the initial 4-6 months.
• The medication is expensive, so keep aside a budget of around Rs. 2000 per month for the treatment for the rest of your life.

The regrown hair will last only for as long as you continue the treatment. Once you stop it, the hair fall will bring the situation back to the state it was before the commencement of the treatment. So be ready to administer the treatment for the rest of your life if you want to enjoy a head full of hair till your last moment.

Lastly, the treatment will show results only if you religiously follow the schedules. Not even a single missed dose or application, no matter what happens forever!

If you are mentally prepared to fulfil the requirements and are ready to pay the cost, both monetary and nonmonetary, then only begin this treatment.

Word of Caution During Baldness Treatment

Never ever start this treatment based on what is written in this article or the knowledge acquired on the Internet. This treatment can have serious side effects. So visit a trichologist or a dermatologist, evaluate your options and ask them to put you on this type of treatment. They will adjust the doses and brands that are most suitable to your skin, health and life stage requirements.

Remember advice, consultation and knowledge can only show you the right path but ultimately you should be prepared to walk on that path without giving up.

Disclaimer: The author of this article has chosen to stay anonymous. He is a common man without any medical knowledge. Whatever has been shared in this article is based on his personal experiences and is not to be considered medical advice. Neither the author of this article nor the owner of this website will be responsible for any consequences arising out of any sort of self treatment carried out based on the information provided in this article. You should always consult a qualified medical practitioner before starting any treatment. In case you wish to know more about author’s experience, you can write to us at [email protected] and we shall pass on your query to him.