The Singaporean entrepreneur opens up about living with Androgenetic Alopecia and helping others suffering from hair loss.
“I started losing hair at 16. When my dad brought me to see a doctor, the doctor said, ‘Peter, there’s no cure for hair loss. Don’t waste your money on treatments. Look at your dad. He is bald too, but he moved on with his life. Just count your blessings and accept your fate.’
It was very disappointing for me to hear those words. But I didn’t give up. Even though it was expensive, I still went for treatments and continued to take medication. They did work, but after a while, the Androgenetic Alopecia – or Male Pattern Baldness – came back.
When I went to New Zealand to study, my hair loss worsened. I actually permed my hair to make it look thicker, but it got so badly damaged instead. My hair stylist asked, ‘What happened to your hair, Peter? Did it get burnt?’ I was so embarrassed! I was only 20 then.
I’ll never forget this one day in uni. Do you know the very famous emperor in Russia called Peter the Great? Well, my friends were passing down lecture notes in the lecture hall. When my notes reached me, I saw a message scribbled on it that read, ‘Peter the Bald’.
That one really hurt. It was a really sad day for me. You carry the scars of that experience for the rest of your life. I guess people with a full head of hair won’t understand. You’ll never know how inferior a person who suffers from hair loss can feel.
I never want others to feel that way. That is why Aremyhair exists. I wanted a place where people who are balding can still look good and feel confident. We can’t grow your hair back, but we can offer an alternative solution, and that is our hair replacement system.
My hair stylists will be with you every step of the way. They’ll help you choose a toupee that suits you, and shave the portion of your head that’s affected by hair loss. They’ll carefully stick the toupee onto your head, and blend it in with your own hair to make it look seamless.
With our toupee, you can jump into the pool or even go diving if you wanted to. Your lifestyle won’t be compromised. Just come in for monthly maintenance and servicing to make sure everything is secure and blending in naturally. No one will even know you’re wearing a wig!
I think what’s most important to me in running Aremyhair is respecting my clients. I am very mindful of their feelings. You’ll never find any of us pressuring clients to buy packages. Because I’ve had that done to me, and it was awful.
A renowned hair care centre I used to visit was so aggressive with their hard sell tactics. Suffering from hair loss made me feel vulnerable, and they exploited my low self-esteem. I was always pressured into buying packages, and I’d spend about $7,000 a year.
I was only able to afford it because I worked as an accountant for 10 years in New Zealand after graduation. The largest bulk of my salary went into paying for my hair. I was young, single and wanted to look good, but I couldn’t keep spending that amount of money.
That is why we never hard sell packages at Aremyhair. Come experience a session first to determine if you even like our service and culture before deciding on anything. That’s how we want it to be. That’s why people are very relaxed when they come here.
That sense of ease also lies in the fact that we’re on the second floor of a shophouse. People can’t just walk by and look through the window. We value our clients’ privacy and installed curtains so that clients get full discretion during their appointments.
I do think the times have changed since I started Aremyhair in 2003. There was such a stigma to hair loss in the past, and clients were so secretive about being here. They would say things like, ‘Please don’t tell my girlfriend I’m here!’
These days, we actually have wives calling in to inquire for their husbands. We even had a daughter call in on behalf of her dad. It’s really nice to know that hair loss is not such a taboo topic anymore. People are more open-minded about it.
They’re also more educated than ever before. People who come to us usually have done their research before visiting. They’ve gone for treatments, and accepted that their hair won’t grow back. They’re here because we offer a solution, not false hope.
At the end of the day, I just want my clients to like what we’re doing. Yes, I have a team that I need to care for financially, but I’m not in the business just to make money. I know what it’s like to suffer from hair loss, and I want others to know they’re not alone. We are here, and we want to help you feel better.” – Peter Lim
Interview by Arman Shah
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