Jawaharlal Nehru’s place in history as India’s first Prime Minister is assured. Amongst his many qualities he was renowned for his attention to his appearance to ensure he always looked impeccable.
It’s not hard to imagine how losing his hair at the tender age of 21 must have a been a real cause of concern to him. This is borne out in a letter to his father in 1911 lamenting his increasing baldness which was recently published on Reddit, creating a storm of responses.
No proven treatments in 1911
The crux of the letter is that he’s spent a lot of money with no results which was really not surprising for 1911. As he points out “Nothing in the world will make hair grow if there are no roots left”. Whilst this is still true today there are a number of available treatments that might have helped the young Jawaharlal.
Some of the options he would have in 2017
He could now opt for a hair transplant where healthy hair follicles are migrated from the back and sides to the thinning area on top, actually replacing the roots that will never grow back. Whilst not a cheap option it could actually reverse and restore the lost hair.
Alternatively, he could opt for less invasive, non-surgical options such as mesotherapy or low level laser treatment which would stem the hair loss without actually reversing it. Another increasingly popular treatment today for men is scalp micropigmentation (SMP) whereby the illusion of a smart, but closely cropped full head of hair is created by a skilled practitioner over 2-3 sessions.
It is worth remembering that although the young Nehru may have been very concerned and spent a fortune on various failed restoration procedures it didn’t really damage his stellar political career. Sometimes doing nothing and letting nature take its course really is the best option.
