Embarrassing wig fails and painful hair transplants are no longer the only option for those facing balding; a new therapy born out of an Indian lab can help you grow back your hair and confidence with no scalpel involved
“I used to tilt my head a certain way for photos. Now I don’t think twice,” says Anooj Pradhan post his hair transplant surgery’s success. PIC/NIMESH DAVE
At a time when appearance impacts everything from personal confidence to professional image, hair transplant surgeries are increasingly seen as more than cosmetic fixes. When Ashutosh Prabhu’s hair started thinning in his late 30s, it hit the administrative executive’s confidence in the boardroom. “I’d notice eyes drifting to my bald head,” he says, “and that punctured my confidence level. ” For 28-year-old Anooj Pradhan, the creeping loss around his temples took a more intimate toll. “I stopped taking selfies. I didn’t feel like myself,” he admits. The two men, a decade apart, were bound by the same quiet grief of the erosion of identity that often accompanies hair loss. What they found, eventually, was a way to regrow more than just hair.
Prabhu, now 50, recalls how his colleagues would perceive him differently because of his balding pate. They’d see his widening crown and retreating hairline and “wouldn’t say anything outright, but their eyes would flicker to my scalp.” As an admin head who always has to communicate with people, image mattered. “I began to wonder if I was being taken less seriously,” he says. “When you look older than you feel, people listen to you differently.”
Ashutosh Prabhu
Pradhan’s experience unfolded differently, but cut just as deep. At 24, when most of his peers were experiencing that feeling of the invincibility of youth, he began to notice a patchy recession around his temples. “It started with a little thinning. But in photos, it was all I could see,” he says. For Pradhan, who’s social and active, the change hit his self-esteem like a freight train. “I felt less desirable, like I had to overcompensate.”
For both men, hair loss wasn’t cosmetic but psychological. The mirror wasn’t lying. But it wasn’t telling the whole story either. While Pradhan went the traditional hair transplant route, a newer alternative awaited Prabhu born not in a salon, but a lab. A recent Indian-led study, co-authored by Dr Debraj Shome, clinician-scientist and senior cosmetic surgeon, and Dr Rinky Kapoor, clinician-scientist and senior dermatologist, along with US dermatologist and global collaborator Dr Michael Gold, may have flipped the script on balding. Published in Stem Cell Research & Therapy, the research reframes hair loss not as irreversible damage but as dormancy — a regenerative failure, not follicular death.
DR MICHAEL GOLD, US dermatologist and global collaborator
DR DEBRAJ SHOME, clinician-scientist and senior cosmetic surgeon
DR RINKY KAPOOR, clinician-scientist and senior dermatologist
Using growth factors and targeted molecules, the hair follicle regeneration procedure activates “sleeping” follicles, offering regrowth without invasive surgery or lifelong meds. “We are no longer talking about covering up hair loss,” says Dr Shome. “We’re talking about reactivating biology.” The research identifies five key biological pathways responsible for follicular dormancy. When reactivated, these can restore hair growth using the body’s own regenerative capacity.
For Prabhu, that switch was life-changing. There’s no scalpel, but it isn’t exactly painless. His session spanned nearly nine hours of a meticulous, needle-based procedure administering growth factor injections. There was also the unnerving “shedding” phase soon after, where hair falls before it regrows in about four to five months. “The wait was hard,” he admits. “But when the new hair came in, so did something else — my confidence.”
“I’m confident enough now to speak to you,” he laughs. “The truth is, it is more about internal conviction than simply facing someone.” On the other hand, Pradhan’s experience with the traditional transplant was smoother. His four-hour session, aided by younger follicles and early intervention, showed visible results after three months. “It’s not magic,” he says, “but it felt like a weight had lifted. I recognised myself again.” Both followed up with low-level laser therapy and topical serums which are small reinforcements to an inside-out reset.
Pradhan, once anxious about his reflection, began trying various hairstyles without hesitation. “I used to tilt my head a certain way for photos. Now I don’t think twice.” What came back wasn’t just hair. It was ease. Presence. The quiet confidence that no one’s staring at a patch anymore.
With hair follicle regeneration therapy, the main advantages are the lower cost, the fact that it’s a non-invasive procedure, and it’s a surer bet than transplant. The real breakthrough lies in activating five key biological pathways that have gone quiet, essentially switching hair regrowth back on using the body’s own resources. “Regenerative approaches are different,” says Dr Kapoor. “These mechanisms are much more targeted, reducing the risk of unintended effects while enhancing efficacy.”
The regenerative approach is best suited for early to moderate stages of androgenetic alopecia, where follicles are dormant, not dead. “Transplants don’t restore the biological health of the follicle or signalling dysfunctions,” says Dr Shome.
Dr Gold sees a global shift taking place. “Together, we are not just treating hair loss. We are restoring the body’s ability to regenerate, rebuild, and renew,” he says. For Prabhu, it’s a simple equation. “Why go for petrol-fuelled car when you can opt for an EV?” he smiles. “This didn’t just give me back my hair; it made me feel like myself again.”
Rs 1.5L
Cost of Ashutosh Prabhu’s hair follicle regeneration therapy
Nine
No of hours taken for the procedure
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