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.

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.