Monday, September 21, 2009

Laser Hair Comb

The top selling medical device for laser hair restoration is the laser hair comb. This device is sold as an at home method of treating your hair loss with low intensity laser light. This laser com, also known as the laser brush, is based on the clinical hair restoration devices that used laser light in a bonnet arrangement. With the clinical device, the patient sits under a bonnet that looks like the old hair dryers found in beauty parlors. A series of low energy level laser lights would then pulse and apply light waves to the scalp. This light energy would then theoretically enhance the blood flow from to the hair follicles and thus cause the follicles to begin to manufacture good, strong hairs again.
This method may have a lot of basis in science even though the current scientific studies have not been completed fully to prove the effectiveness of the procedure. The main cause of hair loss in men is a condition known as male pattern baldness. This is caused by a build up of DHT around the follicles of the hair shaft which stops the transfer of oxygen and nutrients. Increasing blood flow to the follicles has been shown to increase hair growth by using such drugs as the FDA approved hair loss treatment Minoxidil. This drug was originally developed to treat high blood pressure by causes the blood vessels to expand and thus not impede the flow of blood. During clinical trials it was determined that men who were on the drug and were suffering from male pattern baldness actually saw increased hair growth. Further study found that taking the drug causes about 50% of the men to see positive results with their hair loss.
The laser comb is advertised as having the same effect on the blood vessels. The light energy passes throught the scalp and then excites the tissue below the skin level. This excitement causes a slight heat build up which allows blood to flow more freely. The increased blood flow then allows more oxygen and nutrients to be transferred to the hair follicle and the waste materials to be moved away. This increased flow allows the hair follicles to begin growing hairs again or to increase the cross section of the hair shafts that are growing.
The proper use of the laser hair comb is to slowly pass the device over the scalp at the hair loss area. The comb seems to be more effective if combined with hair growth drugs such as the above mentioned Minoxidil or Finasteride which is sold as the brand name propecia. Really good results have been reported anecdotally when the two methods are combined into one hair re-grow treatment.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Laser Hair Treatment

Lasers have become very effective for many aspects of cosmetic surgery. They can be used without fear of side effects like you get from other methods. They are also not painful for if you are having a laser hair removal treatment done you don’t need to be worried about the pain that is associated with waxing and plucking. The lasers that are used for cosmetic surgery applications are very low power and are not anything at all like what you see in Star Wars or Star Trek. In fact, laser hair treatment uses a device that can just barely be called a laser even though the products are usually called things like laser hair comb and laser hair brush.
Laser hair removal treatments actually use a device that points several light beams at the follicle of the hair that is to be removed. This causes the pigments in the hair follicles to heat up and damage the growth mechanism of the hair roots. Since the follicle, you can think of it as the hair factor, is damaged it can no longer produce hair shaft material and the hair unit dies. There is very little discomfort with this procedure and is limited to a little bit of irritation for a few days after the procedure is done.
Surprisingly enough, hair that is darker is actually easier to remove than light colored hair. The obvious belief would be that the light would be easier but that is not the case because it is the pigment in the follicle that actually is excited by the laser light and heats up. Dark hair has a lot more pigment than light colored hair so it heats up much easier. This means it takes less energy from the laser to render the hair follicle out of commission. It actually takes less laser hair removal treatments to get rid of dark hair than light or blond.
This laser treatment for hair removal is very effective at hair that is growing but in the normal life of hair the follicle will be dormant, or in hibernation, for a few months out of the year. If the hair is treated at this time these units that are dormant will not be affected. Thus it often times takes a few treatments to get rid of all the unwanted hair.
There is also a laser treatment for hair loss that uses and extremely low energy level diode as a way to get hair growing again. The theory is that by exciting the hair follicle of a hair unit it will cause the unit to start manufacturing hair shaft material again. This may or may not be the case.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Laser Comb Theory

The laser comb has been around for only a few years but it has been stirring up a lot of press both good and bad during that time. The laser brush is another product that is not associated with the company that produces the laser comb but it operates on the same principles. Laser hair replacement therapy is really quite new and as I said it has only been around for a few years so there are not really a lot of long term studies that have been performed to determine if the theory really works well or not. The companies say that there is extra growth of hair when a person uses the laser device as instructed over a length of time.

Also known as the hair loss laser this device has been cleared by the FDA as a medical device for the treatment of hair loss in men who are suffering from male pattern baldness. This does not mean it has be certified to be effective at re-growing hair, it just means the device will not cause further damage. The Lazer Comb is basically under study right now as the company who manufactures and sells it conducts studies to determine how well it actually works. According to the company the device does show some hair growth after a few months of use.

There seems to be a lot of conversation and controversy about what could possibly be the reason that this low laser level light therapy can help the hair to grow. One potential reason which seems to make sense as to why the product can get a man’s hair to grow better is that it may help to stimulate blood flow to the hair roots. The majority of men who are losing their hair are doing so because of male pattern baldness. This condition is caused by poor blood flow to the hair follicles. The manufacturers claim that the laser photothereapy actually will increase the blood flow to the hair roots. This increase in blood flow could give the hair follicles an added boost of oxygen and nutrients which could increase their activity. The cause of dormancy and eventual death in the follicles is a build up of DHT at the blood system boundary. This build up stops effective transfer of needed nutrients and oxygen which causes the effectiveness of the root to decrease.

Although there is talk of photo-biostimulation there is no science behind this which could explain why a hair loss laser could help to regrow hair. The companies that manufacture these laser combs claim that this light therapy some how stimulates the hair follicles to be more active. There is some heating from these devices of the scalp and this heating may explain why laser treatment for hair loss can be effective. It is a known fact that heat will increase blood flow and this may be a reason why this hair loss laser treatment works. Of course there needs to be more scientific testing to determine exactly what is the cause for any hair growth.

There seems to be ample anecdotal evidence that this device does increase hair growth in total number of hairs and in thickness of the individual hair shafts. There does seem to be some confusion though about what laser hair therapy is really about. Some people think that the procedure is a laser hair transplant but this is not the case at all. The lasers are low level which means they will not do any cutting or boring of even skin. Instead the low energy laser therapy only applies a very small amount of energy to the scalp.

The laser comb definitely deserves more study considering how much anecdotal evidence indicates there may be extra hair growth.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Laser Comb Science

There is a lot of controversy about the laser comb and whether or not laser hair restoration is a reality or just a scam. One thing for certain is it is not magic. You can not pass a wand of light over your head and then hair will miraculously appear. That is just not how it works. If there is hair growth after the use of these items then there must be a reason for that to happen.
Most hair loss in men is caused by male pattern baldness. This is a result of the build up of DHT, a matabolite of the male hormone testosterone, on the boundary between the hair follicle blood supply and the cells in the hair follicle that manufacture the hair shaft material. The laser hair treatment claims to be able to reverse this process and allow the follicle to begin its manufacturing duties again. The laser comb is sold as a device to increase the growth of the hair. The light enegy is supposed to penetrate the skin and excite the hair bulbs into growth. This is called laser hair growth.
What possibly could be happening is the heat from the light source may be exciting the follicle and allowing better blood flow. It is a known fact that heat helps speed up blood flow that is why you add heat to and injury. It increases the blood flow and allows more oxygen and nutrients to flow to the affected area. This increased nutritional flow may allow the follicle to work better at retrieving oxygen and nutrients.
None of this has been proven scientifically because studies are still being done to find out exactly how the laser hair comb and laser hair brush work. Once this information becomes available it will be interesting to see what is actually working to grow hair if hair does increase under the use of this device.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Laser Hair Restoration

The main cause of hair loss in men is male pattern baldness. This condition is in action whenever you see a man with patchy hair loss at the front of his head or on the crown. In both instances the hair is dying because the blood flow to the hair follicle has been interrupted. This is known as Androgenetic Alopecia. Although this is fairly common in men it can also be found in women. It is a genetic condition that, unlike the old wives tale, can be passed down from the mother's or father's side of the family. The method of laser hair restoration attacks this condition and helps the hair follicles to start manufacturing hair material again.
The laser brush is a tool designed to counter act the symptoms of this condition which include hair loss in patches usually at the front of the scalp or on the crown. It is claimed that the mechanism for laser hair regrowth is that the heat from the low level light source increases blood flow which in turn counteracts the affects of the male pattern baldness.
This may make sense as the MPB is cause by a build up of DHT at the root of the hair where the blood supply connects. This DHT is a metabolite of testosterone. Although men have more of this hormone than women it can affect both sexes. In fact, when present in women it is called Female Pattern Baldness.
The Titan laser is one such tool and the hair max laser comb is another. The manufacturers of both of these appliances claim that they will help to regrow hair on baldspts or over the entire head. The US FDA has not tested the affectiveness of the devices. They have certified that they laser hair restoration brush and comb will not cause more damage but they have not done any studies that prove the laser tools actually improve hair growth.
Hair laser loss treatments have not been around all that long so long term studies have not had a chance to be done. What studies there have been seem to be inconclusive. I suggest doing a lot of research by visiting manufacturer sites and doing all you can to find out whether they would work for you.

Laser Comb Does It Regrow Hair

The laser comb is a new device that is gaining a lot of attention as a way to regrow hair quickly and easily. The theory behind this tool is that the light heats up the scalp and give better blood flow to the hair follicles. Considering that the number one cause of hair loss in men can be attributed to male pattern baldness this heating may make a difference. The jury is still out.
Male pattern baldness is caused by DHT in the blood stream. DHT is a metabolite of testosterone which is the male hormone responsible for the growth of the male sex organs during puberty along with other things. Actually women also have testosterone just in not as large a quatities as the men do. The testosterone can have the same affect on the hair though because women suffer from a condition where hair falls out in patches known as female pattern baldness. The causes are the same as for the men. The excess DHT in the blood stream builds up at the boundary between the hair follicle and the blood vessels. This buildup eventually chokes off the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the hair growth mechanism and the hair dies. This condition takes a while to come to an end which is why you see the hair on a man who is going bald turn whispy and thin before it actually falls out. Eventually though the hair succumbs to the loss of vital nutrients and oxygen and dies.
The laser hair comb is designed to increse the blood flow to the scalp. The feeling is the increased heat will cause more blood flow which will counteract the decreased flow caused by the DHT buildup. Laser hair growth would be caused because the increased blood flow would allow the nutrients and oxygen to get to the roots of the hair. There are two main laser hair restoration tools on the market today. There is a laser hair comb and a laser hair brush. Both of these use low level lighting to supposedly increase the amount of hair growth.
It has been claimed that the FDA has certified the laser hair comb and laser hair brush for use as hair restoration appliances. This is not the case. What the FDA said was these tools would not cause any damage but they specifically did not run scientific tests to see if they actually performed as advertised.
The laser brush seems to have a little larger following at this time but it is hard to tell. I would suggest you visit several manufacturer's websites and see if the information seems good to you.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Theory Behind Laser Hair Restoration

There are several laser hair restoration products on the market today and they are getting a lot of publicity. Apparently, even Barbara Walters talked about the use of so called hand held laser hair restoration products on her show The View. This has sparked a lot of talk about using this technology to regrow hair and get rid of baldness. But what is the the theory behind the selling of these items? Proponents of laser hair restoration claim the light therapy heats the area under the skin resulting in improved hair growth.

There has been very little study about the effectiveness of using LLLT or low light laser technology to assist in the regrowth of hair after hair loss. I suspect that, since this is multi-million dollar a year industry, there has not been much study because no one wants to show that it doesn't work. Think about it, if you had a product that was making you millions of dollars a year would you want to prove that it didn't work? I don't think so either.
The proponents of this method state that hair follicles are stimulated to grow by the heat applied to the scalp and thus the hair bulbs by the laser. There has been no scientific peer reviewed articles that prove that this statement has any validity at all.

The main cause of male pattern baldness, or andgrogenic alopecia, is an increase in the hormone DHT which is a derivative of testosterone. DHT works to inhibit the growth of healthy hair in a procedure known as follicular miniaturization. The hair shafts get smaller and small in cross section over time and eventually shrink to a size that is referred to as peach fuzz. Eventually most of the hair follicles disappear altogether. Male pattern baldness has been shown to have a strong genetic cause with most men experiencing it at some level as they get older.

The US FDA has only approved two treatments for effective hair regrowth. The first of these is finasteride which is marketed as procecial or proscar by the Merck company. Originally developed as a drug to treat enlarged prostrate a side effect of the drug seemed to be an increase in hair in patients experiencing baldness. The second treatment drug accepted by the FDA as an effective treatment is minoxidil marketed as Rogaine by Upjohn. Rogaine was originally developed as a treatment for high blood pressure but again hair regrowth was observed in patients on the therapy.

These two drug treatments are the only methods that have been accepted by the US FDA as showing actual hair regrowth. Advertisements for hair regrowth lasers state that the FDA has approved lasers as a medical device. This is true, the FDA has said the hand held items will not cause damage but they have never stated that the low light laser therapy items have any effaect on the regrowth of hair or the alleviation of male pattern baldness. Just because the government says a treatment is safe does not mean it works as advertised. Most of the distributors of these hand held laser devices have been warned by the FDA in letters regarding false statements in their advertising.

Since there is absolutely no proof that laser therapy works to regrow hair there is little reason to spend money on the items. Treatments for hair loss in men do exist and should be administered by a register doctor. If you are balding and feel the need to find a path to get your head of hair back visit a board certified doctor who will most likely to a hair miniaturization test to find out if you are experiencing male pattern baldness and then prescribe one of the two drugs approved by the FDA as effective treatments for alopecia or hair loss. Any treatments involving laser hair restoration can be considered a waste of time.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Laser Hair Restoration

There has been a lot of buzz about laser hair restoration and whether or not it is the next big thing for regrowing hair. There are even several products on the market that claim to be lasers which will help your hair to regrow.

There has been very little research done on laser hair restoration but that hasn't stopped several websites from claiming that their product grows hair. Several websites site an FDA approval ruling as proof that using lasers promote hair growth. Actually the FDA did not say that any of the laser items regrow hair. What they did say was that using them would not cause any harm. These are two completely different findings. At no time has the FDA ruled that you can regrow hair by using any type of a laser.

The use at home products are not even lasers. They are diode lights that give the appearance of strong beams of light but in reality they are just dime store novelties. There have been no peer reviewed scientific studies that indicate lasers or these at home fake laser products do anything to make your hair grow again or improve the growth of hair you do have.