Hair Regrowth Journey

Jamie's avatar

By Jamie under Hair Growth | 2024-06-28

I've had hair loss for as long as I can remember. I get it honestly and have near identical baldness patterns as my father and grandfathers.

Now in my mid-40s, I've realized that I've let it go completely untreated for far too long and I'm on a journey to see if I can successfully grow some hair back and increase its thickness.

I've scoured the internet (ok - mostly TikTok) and see many others trying to do the same. Most of everyone embarking on this same journey are using the same tools :

  • Minoxidil 5%
  • Microneedling and dermarolling
  • Massage
  • Supplements
  • Red light therapy

And I'm doing it all.

I'm going to use this page to document the journey. I realize that this may not likely work but it's worth a try. Along the way, I've also discovered more skin care tools. If anything, spending some extra time on my hair is also helping me focus on skin care too, oddly enough. So no all is lost...

Will see in a year if any of this was worth it... If it even lasts that long.

Update 2024-10-28

A couple of things to update on. First, I have continued to notice some improvements, while keeping at this routine. It's subtle, and it may also be a lighting thing, but it seems to me like there's some additional hair growth. Or at the very least, my hair is significantly healthier looking. I only wish that I had started this whole journey years ago before the significant hair loss occurred.

Below is a picture that I took recently showing the difference since the early days, on the left and the current situation on the right. I edited this one on my phone, so appologies for the quality of the pic...

Beyond the regular monthly status update and top down view of the ol' noggin, I recieved this today, straight from somewhere in China through Aliexpress. It's a red light therapy hat and I'm pretty impressed. It's similar to those that I've seen folks like Bryan Johnson wear in one of his hair videos, but wasn't very expensive. I think it's also worth noting that it only took like 10 days to get to Canada from wherever it shipped. I've waited many many weeks for things to arrive when ordering on Aliexpress, so that was kind of a treat.

  It's only been since today that I've had this, but I'm going to try and wear it daily in the morning while I'm prepping for the day. It's much simpler and easy to use than a larger system. Although, I'm sure that the larger system gives off more intense red light, so I'll probably still use that too while working. I recently introduced an articulating arm for the light so that I can position it over me easily and swing it away when not needed.

Update 2024-09-28

So now 5 months into using Minoxidil 5% twice per day and the supplements, micro-needling and red light therapy.

Here is the comparison since a photo that I took in May, 2024 :

It's really not a whole lot different. Maybe slightly more coverage. The lighting difference between the two images is probably making it difficult to really get a good idea.

But I'm still going to keep going. I'd like to keep it up for a year minimum to see where we get to. Perhaps hair regrowth for me is just not in the cards.

Update 2024-08-02

Small update...

I have been continuing the journey. Minoxidil 5% twice per day, supplements every day, micro-needling a couple of times per week and a little bit of red light therapy (not every day).

Yesterday I took yet another update photo. I cropped it and compared to my first April photo. I'm not going to say there's a startling difference, but I do think there is a noticible difference. Not sure if there is new hair growth or it's just that my existing hair is thicker. But it's definitely something. So maybe there is something to this hair growth after all.

I've included the photo below for your own observation and comparing. I'd ask you what you think, but you don't really have a way to contact me or leave a comment. Maybe that's a future site update. But for now, behold...

As of 2024-07-18

It hasn't quite been a month since I wrote this initial post, but thought I'd provide some updates.

First on minoxidil products. I have purchased a couple of vials of what I thought was minoxidil 5%, but I'm now suspiscious if they were legit. I've seen a number of various Amazon shops selling minoxidil, but the same shops tend to close pretty quickly. To me, it's maybe a signal that all isn't as it is claimed to be. So recently, during prime day deals, I picked up a 3 month supply of Rogaine. Yes, the OG minoxidil brand.

Me, trying red light therapy on my hair for the first time. There must be a better way.

Second, I've also purchased a red light therapy device on Amazon. I've decided to try to add that to my hair growth routine. This might sound like a scam, but I am surprised by the number of research papers that actually show evidence of red light therapy, especially in the 650nm range, to promote hair growth. Here are a few examples :

Research Paper Date Summary
Hair Growth Promoting Effects of 650 nm Red Light Stimulation on Human Hair Follicles and Study of Its Mechanisms via RNA Sequencing Transcriptome Analysis 2021-12 Exposure Time and Sessions:
  • Hair follicles were exposed to 650 nm red light for 5 or 10 minutes.
  • Treatments occurred on alternate days.
Energy Density:
  • 0.8 J/cm² for 5 minutes
  • 1.6 J/cm² for 10 minutes
Distance:
  • Specific distance of the light source from the scalp was not mentioned.
Results:
  • 5-minute treatment significantly increased hair shaft length. 10-minute treatment showed increased hair length but was not statistically significant compared to control.

Red light treatment postponed the catagen phase and prolonged the anagen phase.
The growth of human scalp hair in females using visible red light laser and LED sources 2014-08 Exposure Time and Sessions:
  • Exposure Time: 655 nm, 25 minutes per session.
  • Frequency: Every other day for 16 weeks, totaling 60 treatments.
Energy Density:
  • Active Device: Delivered 67 J/cm² irradiance per 25-minute treatment session.
  • Sham Device: Contained incandescent red lights and delivered no measurable light at the scalp level.
Distance:
  • The helmet was designed to be placed directly on the scalp, with no direct contact between the light source and the scalp, ensuring consistent illumination over the scalp area.
Results:
  • Hair Count Improvement:
    • Baseline Hair Counts: 228.2 ± 133.4 in the sham group and 209.6 ± 118.5 in the active group (P = 0.642).
    • Post-Treatment Hair Counts: 252.1 ± 143.3 in the sham group and 309.9 ± 166.6 in the active group (P = 0.235).
    • Change in Hair Counts: 23.9 ± 30.1 in the sham group and 100.3 ± 53.4 in the active group (P < 0.0001).
    • Percent Increase in Hair Counts: 11.05 ± 48.30% in the sham group and 48.07 ± 17.61% in the active group (P < 0.001).
  • Overall Improvement: The active treatment group showed a 37% increase in hair growth compared to the sham group.
  • Adverse Events: No adverse events or side effects were reported, indicating the treatment is safe for home use.
Low-level light therapy versus topical 5% minoxidil in the management of androgenetic alopecia in males: A randomised controlled trial 2024-03 Exposure Time and Sessions:
  • LLLT Group: 10 minutes per session, three sessions per week for 6 months.
  • Minoxidil Group: Application twice daily for 6 months.
Wavelength:
  • LLLT Group: 633 ± 10 nm.
Results:
  • LLLT Group: Out of 37 patients who completed the study, 10 (27%) showed no change, 21 (56.7%) showed mild to moderate growth, and 6 (16.2%) showed excellent growth. Mean hair density at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months was 104.8 ± 22.7, 117.3 ± 25.1, and 130 ± 25.7, respectively.
  • Minoxidil Group: Out of 38 patients who completed the study, 7 (18.4%) showed no change, 20 (52.6%) showed mild to moderate growth, and 11 (28.9%) showed excellent growth. Mean hair density at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months was 97.6 ± 21.6, 116.4 ± 20.4, and 134.6 ± 24, respectively.
  • Both groups showed a statistically significant (p < 0.001) increase in hair density from baseline at 3 and 6 months.
  • No major adverse effects were found in either group.
Conclusion:
  • The results of the LLLT group were comparable to the minoxidil group, indicating that LLLT can be used safely and effectively for the treatment of AGA.

Based on the above research, I'm going to go with the following additional element in my weekly routine :

  • 1 session every other day (minimal)
  • Each session will be between 5 and 15 minutes. I'll shoot for 15 but also being realistic here.

It would be nice to have some sort of arm or something holding the red light therapy device above my head. I may have to DIY something.

As of 2024-06-28

I've been diligently following this routine every day for almost 2 months now :

Morning

  • Minoxidil 5% on forehead hair line and top
  • Massage
  • Followed-up with morning skin care

Mid-Day (breaking 16-18 hour fast)

  • Collagen30 - pills 2 tablets (1000mg collagen peptides, 40mg Hyaluronic Acid)
  • And my other supplements

Mid Afternoon

  • Scoop of collagen peptides - 10g (beef) in some Balkan plain yogurt with a tablespoon of protein powder and a few blueberries

Evening

  • 2 times per week I will dermaroll with a 0.5mm roller
  • 1 time per week I use an adjustable derma stamp at 1.5mm
  • Two capsils of marine sourced collagen peptides (1g)
  • Minoxidil 5%
  • Massage
  • Followed by evening skin care

My current progress to date:

It's not great. And despite some attempt to keep a hat on in the sun, it seems like I haven't been super successful at that yet this summer.

But onwards and upwards!