Going bald: the practical guide to making it work

Despite the numerous bald male celebrities who women swoon over, baldness remains a major cause for concern for thousands of men. It’s understandable, it completely changes your appearance and you feel like you’ve got no control over it. It’s not the same as getting a drastic haircut because this is one hairstyle you can’t grow out. But here’s the thing – you have got control over it. Not in the sense that you can grow your old head of hair back, but there are ways for you to lay claim to your scalp and make it yours once more. Here’s how. 

How big is the balding area?

This is a crucial issue in addressing your particular situation. Because a bald patch on your crown requires different (and perhaps more dramatic) intervention than a receding hair line. Want to feel good instantly about your baldness? Here are some reasons you don’t necessarily need to invest in baldness cures, but instead can embrace your baldness and shave it off or crop it very short. 

1.) Speed

No time for gel or combing? No problem, just skip that hairstyle part of your morning routine, and get out the door.

2.) Always on-trend

A shaved head or tightly cropped hair never goes out of fashion, unlike long locks or sideways sweeps and so on. 

3.) Money

You’ll save a fortune on barber fees, shampoo, conditioner and hair product. 

But if you still want your hair back

There are only two treatments available in the UK to help regrow hair with any scientific evidence to back them up and they are minoxidil and finasteride. 

Minoxidil

This is what Regaine contains and it’s thought to work by increase bloodflow to the hair follicle. If that’s the case, though, there are other ways you can do the same. Exfoliating and massage for example will both improve bloodflow to your scalp. The majority of men who try products containing minoxidil will see improvements, but these might not be as dramatic as you’d like. Hair regrowth is usually finer and so not as visible as your natural hair growth. The effects will only continue as long as the treatment does. 

Finasteride

This is what anti-balding brand Propecia contains and it’s only available via your GP. This is because it works by disrupting a specific enzyme that has an effect on your hormone levels and therefore your hair growth. Again, the majority of men see results using Propecia but again, to see continued effects you need to continue using the product. There are also side effects to consider such as reduced sexual desire and even impotence. 

Hair replacement

You can opt to have surgery to move hair follicles from other parts of your head to where your baldness is. It’s not major surgery but it is expensive and you’ll have visible signs of where the new hair follicles have been put in until you’ve fully healed. What’s more, the new hair growth may grow in an awkward direction or look unrealistic.