Hair restoration is working – it’s official!

Last December, I wrote a blog post about how I planned to bring back my head hair by using a combination of two drugs. Almost a year on, and following a super-scientific scalp consultation, I’m now looking forward to the day I can ditch my wig forever.

I won’t repeat everything I’ve already written about why being balding caused massive gender dysphoria for me – or my plans to reverse its effects – it’s all in that earlier post.

Suffice to say that I used to think what hair I’d lost was gone forever and that the rest would eventually join it in Folicle Hell. I’d heard about hair restoration products, but I’d also heard they were all useless.

And, while that may have been the case 20 years ago, it’s not anymore. If you want to reverse “male” pattern balding, it can be done. It just takes time (and money).

So I began taking Finasteride (a 5mg pill once a day) back in August last year and then topped it up with Minoxidil last December. Minoxidil is better known by its trade name Regaine in the UK, or Rogaine in the US.

When I started Finasteride, I was completely bald – much of the hair on top of my head was long gone, and I used to shave off the rest with a razor. Right back to the wood, as they say.

By the time I started Regaine, I’d got back a little hair, but nothing to write home about. I’ve spent pretty much all of 2018 growing it out, having appointments at a ladies’ hair salon every six to eight weeks just to keep it tidy.

I’ve still got a long way to go – the hair growing at the back and sides is as thick and lush as it was when I was a kid, whereas that on top is far thinner and still needs to catch up.

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure if the drugs I’ve been taking were working. I see my hair in the mirror several times a day, so it’s hard to gauge any progress, or lack thereof.

My hairdresser, bless her, keeps telling me it’s getting thicker on top, but I just wondered if that’s because what is there is getting longer. I needed scientific proof – and now I’ve got it.

A few years ago, I met a chap called Andy Allsop. I first met him when I briefly joined a paranormal research group. The two of us and a few others would walk round ancient buildings with walkie-talkies and night-vision video cameras, trying to find and communicate with lost souls. When the group folded, we lost touch, but we’ve been Facebook buddies since.

Anyway, Andy dropped me a line a few days ago to tell me he’s now running a hair salon with his partner, Chris, in the Derbyshire mill town of Belper.

The bottom floor of Authentic Self is a regular hairdresser’s but, up a flight of stairs, is where the magic happens. This is the scalp clinic, where Andy plies his trade – and he invited me along for a consultation as he’s promoting the service to the LGBT+ community and wanted my thoughts.

The salon’s website boasts that treatments are available for all types of complaints, such as hair loss, fine hair, chronic dandruff, and dry or oily scalps – for men and women.

And it’s true. After making me a coffee, Andy explained his background and training – and then talked me through the various ranges of products from a French firm called La Biosthetique. They’ve been operating since the 1950s and all the products are vegan-friendly.

He also showed me some of the range of beautiful wigs, made by a firm called Dimples. He explained the various colours and lengths available, and told me the prices. Human hair wigs and hairpieces are also for sale.

Hearing about the various products and wigs was really interesting, but I am already using my own products, and I’m keen for them to work so that I no longer have to wear a wig. So it was the scalp consultation part that really interested me.

In one corner of the beautifully-decorated studio is a simple black chair and a laptop computer on a stand. Connected to the laptop is a little gizmo called a Dinolite- which is basically a hand-held, super-duper microscope camera.

Apparently, it was invented by the electronics industry to examine components in fine detail. Here, it’s used to look at people’s scalps with up to 200 times magnification.

And that’s extreme close-up! When I first saw my scalp on the screen in GIANTVISION,  I half expected to see something crawling around in my hair – something that would be a first for Andy. Fortunately, it didn’t happen, so someone else can have that dubious honour.

So, scalp news: the Finasteride and the Minoxidil are working. Hooray! The pictures show that, mixed in with the thick hairs are thinner ones, which are new hairs – ones from folicles which had previously shut down.

At the base of each hair is a red blob – these are the active folicles. And even on areas where there’s virtually no hair, such as the bit between my Steve McLaren-style “hair island” at the front and the rest of my hair, there are active folicles.

The only downside is that my scalp at the front sides appears to be a barren landscape in terms of folicles. But if I can get Hair Island to rejoin the mainland and I eventually grow a deep fringe, I should be fine and will be able to sport all manner of feminine hairstyles.

The photos below were taken in August 2017, December 2017 and yesterday (September 2018), so looking pretty encouraging.

I’ve still got a long way to go but, all being well, in a few months’ time, I should be able to ditch the wig for good. Hoorah!

A consultation with Andy costs £29.99 and lasts from 45 minutes to an hour – I reckon that’s really good value whether you just want piece of mind, like I did, that your regimen is working, or whether you’re looking at starting on one of the products.

Another plus is that I didn’t feel like Andy was trying to force any of the products on me – there was zero hard sell. When I went in, I’d got some red skin on my scalp and some flaky skin, due to using a new shampoo.

Another plus is that I didn’t feel like Andy was trying to force any of the products on me – there was zero hard sell. When I went in, I’d got some red skin on my scalp and some flaky skin, due to using a new shampoo.

I’ve now started using Vosene, which appears to be settling it down a treat. Andy said he had the products that would help – but only if the Vosene didn’t work. As I say, no pressure to buy products.

So whether you’re after a regular haircut, a wig or a scalp consultation, you can’t really go wrong – and you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere outside London offering all three services under one roof.

For more details about Authentic Self, which is on Bridge Street, Belper, or to book a consultation, click here. Good luck – may your hair be as awesome as you are.

Andie xxx