Balding at 33, this S’porean man shares his journey to getting his hair back

Baldness can be a source of insecurity for many men in Singapore — something Eric Wee found out firsthand as a 33-year-old.

What started as a routine visit to the hairdresser ended with Wee immediately going to look for a handheld mirror to confirm what he had been told: he had developed bald patches at the back of his head.

“I was a bit shocked at the time, as I wasn’t aware of it,” recalled Wee, speaking to me over a video call.

When he finally got hold of a mirror at home, Wee was able to make out two separate patches.

One was about 3cm in diameter — “it was really an empty patch,” Wee described — and the other was smaller, maybe about a centimetre wide.

It had been a particularly stressful period in Wee’s life — he was in the midst of a career transition, having decided to make the jump into the cybersecurity industry after years of working as a lab assistant.

To facilitate the change, he was schooling part-time while still working regular hours.

On top of all that, Wee was also planning for his wedding.

Despite all this, the bald patches came as a complete surprise to Wee; when he looked at the rest of his family, there didn’t seem to be any pattern of hair loss amongst the men.

“Everyone had pretty thick hair, except for one uncle, but I think it's due to his lifestyle or something. But the rest, up to their current age — like 60-plus — there’s no balding or anything” said Wee.

“I sort of took it for granted, because I saw everyone with thick hair, and I assumed that it would stay forever.”

Together with his fiance, Wee started monitoring how the patches were progressing, and to his dismay, they appeared to be getting worse. Before long, the bigger of his two bald patches had doubled in size.

A vicious cycle

“During that period, I was feeling pretty insecure,” he told me.

“If I used hairstyling products, it became pretty obvious that I had a bald patch [on the rear of my head].”

If the hair loss had been caused by his increased stress levels (links have been found between the two), then having to contend with balding prematurely was only adding to Wee’s anxiety, rounding out a vicious cycle.

Wanting to address the worsening situation, the 33-year-old took to several over-the-counter products, such as ginger hair tonics, scalp massagers and hair growth shampoo, all to no avail.

Eventually, after a few months of deliberation, Wee decided to look into Yun Nam Hair Care.

He was encouraged to try out treatments with the company because of their reputation of expertise when it came to tackling hair loss.

The treatment

Wee’s first few sessions included a computerised scalp scan analysis, customised herbal remedy, as well as a scalp rejuvenation.

“Typically if you have a bald patch, it is your body’s inflammatory response to stop hair from growing in hair follicles in that area. If not treated immediately, it may lead to scar formation and permanent closure of hair follicles, resulting in permanent baldness,” said Ben Lee, a Senior TCM Advisor at Yun Nam.

“At Yun Nam, we use a scalp rejuvenation method (synonymous to scalp gua sha), which greatly increases blood circulation, stimulates regenerative activity, and prevents scar formation.”

This is used in conjunction with a customised herbal remedy that is applied to the affected area to encourage hair growth.

This herbal remedy is formulated with premium Chinese herbs like ginseng, he shou wu, and dang gui.

According to Yun Nam, ginseng increases hair thickness, nourishing the hair from root to tip; he shou wu restores dark hair growth and prevents hair from turning grey; while dang gui prevents hair loss and strengthens hair roots.

At first it sounded a bit too good to be true. Sceptical, Wee kept his expectations low.

“Initially, I thought that as long as the situation didn’t worsen but I still have a bald patch [I would be okay],” said Wee.

“So when I discovered baby hair growing, I was pretty happy. It meant that there was a chance that my hair could go back to normal.”

After three sessions, Wee could see hair gradually return to the barren spots on his head.

It took one item off his list of stress-inducing things.

“I felt very relieved,” he said.

After 10 sessions, Wee saw that he had fully regained his hair.

Priorities

Today, it's been two years since Wee first sought Yun Nam out for help with his bald patches.

He’s since gotten married and is now enjoying a career as a Senior Consultant in the Cyber Security industry.

And in case you’re wondering, he no longer has bald patches on his head.

Till today, Wee continues his treatment sessions with Yun Nam — though he doesn’t go as often.

He only goes in once a month or so — a typical routine for customers who want to maintain healthy hair.

For those who might be in a similar situation as Wee a couple of years ago, his advice to them is to prudently weigh their options and their concerns.

“I feel that different people have different priorities,” he told me.

To him, having a full head of healthy hair is something worth investing in.

“Ultimately it boils down to how much you can afford and how you view balding as a whole — how much does it matter to you?”

If you suspect you have any hair or scalp issues, you may wish to seek professional help.

Enjoy Yun Nam Hair Care's signature FASTGro™ Herbal Hair Treatment at only $28nett (U.P. $324). Exclusive for first-time customers. Find out more here.

This is a sponsored article by Yun Nam Hair Care.

Top image from Yun Nam Hair Care