My Hair Story

When I was a young boy, I used to sport a head full of thick hair.  It was so thick and coarse that the Indian barber I used to patronise as a boy had to exert little more pressure to comb my hair.  My late father had thick hair, my late uncle too.  Even on my maternal side, none is bald to the best of my knowledge.  Why am I bald?  Beats me, I have no answer either.  If there is any solace, my two younger brothers have also started to bald albeit at an older age.

I started to notice receding hairline when I was in my mid 20s.  Did I panic?  Of course I was hell panicky.  The first thought that came to mind then was how to get a girlfriend if I am bald.  I was in the customer service industry and impression counts most too.  Svenson was the answer to my plight.  I was recommended a 10-course treatment that cost me a cool 4-figure sum and that did not include the special shampoo and condition which were charged separately.  It was heavy on my pocket as a young wage earner.  I did not see much improvement as my hair continued to make a free fall.  Nearer to the completion, they recommended another 10-course treatment which I readily agreed though it was hurting my pocket badly.  Saving my crowning glory superseded everything or no girlfriend for me.  I pressed on.  Much to my disappointment again, the second treatment did not yield positive result.  Now, my receding hairline was getting more prominent.  I tried another famous hair centre.  If I remember well, it was called Hair Chain.  They were less popular than Svenson but I was eager to try them out.  Same treatment, same damage to my pocket and still no positive outcome.  Mine is a male pattern of hair dropping.  The hair on the front and the top will soon drop and leaving the two sides holding fast.  Some called it the "Mediterranean Sea".

People started to tease me.  The word, "botak" was taboo to me, to the extent that whenever anyone were to call me that, I would snarl back.  I was not even in my 30s and I felt so old.  It was so desperate for me that when I chanced upon an advertisement that showed a complete bald man who then regained his hair after trying out acupuncture treatment. I was fascinated by the pictures and decided to pay a visit to this self-professed acupuncturist who called himself, "Dr Professor Something".  He used electric current to trigger the blood flow in my head.  I think I visited him for a year or more before I completely stopped.  There was no improvement at all.

Regain was just introduced to the market.  It required me to spray and massage gently on my head each time.  The medication needed to be prescribed by doctor and each bottle cost more than S$100.  However, it can work on some but not all and I am among the "not all".

Finally a visit to a dermatologist on one fine day who blatantly told me that mine is the male pattern of hair dropping and nothing can be done to it.  I accepted my fate and decided not to do anything to it.  The fear of not getting a girlfriend was not in my mind by now.  I was already in my 30s and going 40 soon.    

I still saved the remaining hair on two sides whenever I visited the barber.  I was not completely bald.  Some close female friends advised me to shave it bald.  I was hesitant to do so.  One day I visited a barber and it was to be my last visit too.  The barber is bald himself.  He asked me to shave it all bald.  I then sought his advice on how to shave on own.  Thanks to him (though it means no more business for him), I decided to go bald.  I felt good when I shaved bald and it was some five years ago.  Now whenever someone called me "botak", I will return back with a big smile.  There is no looking back now.  Girlfriend or no girlfriend, accept me as what I am - bald is here to stay!