A little bit of honesty never hurt guys
I’ve often wondered if there is a stigma around men using salon treatments at their local gym or fitness centre! Why not give your vote on a simple poll
The Low-down on Low Level Laser Therapy
There’s a new option in hair restoration that is painless and noninvasive. Medicine is beginning to see lasers in a very different light—low level light, that is…
In fact, low level laser therapy (LLLT) is among the most exciting new options in the treatment of hair loss. Lasers have long been used in all types of medical specialties, including dermatology. Many have used specific lasers to resurface the skin by creating a wound on the top layer so that new, fresh skin emerges from underneath.
But a new generation of lasers takes a very different—‘wound-less’—approach. To understand how LLLT works, you have to alter the way you view lasers. LLLT isn’t a light source that causes thermal, or heat, damage.
With LLLT, there is no cutting or burning sensation. The technology doesn’t even resemble the look of traditional lasers. Instead, LLLT is delivered by a device that contains panels of lasers that shine on the scalp.
Men and women being treated for hair loss sit comfortably under the lasers as it gently delivers the phototherapy to the scalp. Most of our patients read a magazine during treatments. There is no pain or discomfort from the therapy–some patients do report some “scalp-tingling.”
The visible red light from the hood’s lasers travels several layers into the tissue without harming the skin and scalp. Because the laser light does not cut or burn the skin, the therapeutic light-energy is absorbed by the cells and the process of cell repair begins. One theory of how this noninvasive, non-chemical hair loss treatment works is that it stimulates the production of energy at the cellular level; therefore, improving cell function.
It is believed that LLLT may increase blood flow to the treated area as well. European studies have shown that LLLT stops hair loss in 85% of cases and stimulates new hair growth in 55% of cases. While LLLT is no ‘miracle cure’ for hair loss, we have found similar results with our patients. In January of 2007 a hand-held laser therapy device was cleared by the FDA as a treatment for ‘androgenetic alopecia’ (male pattern hair loss). Low Level Lasers have been approved in this country as a treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, as a wound-healing aide, and as an adjunct to liposuction procedures. Laser therapy has been safely used for decades throughout Europe, the Far East and has no documented side effects.
Would you like to have a full head of hair?
Low-level laser hair loss therapy is now recognized throughout Europe and in the USA as an effective treatment for most forms of hair loss, including male and female pattern baldness.
The use of low-level laser therapy (LLLT), although shown in some studies to be effective in improving the thickness and fullness of hair on its own, is often combined with proven scalp and hair re-growth products for a full hair loss treatment program.
Repeat treatments are required weekly for approximately 6 months, depending on the extent of hair loss. You will normally also be given specific hair care and hair re-growth products for at-home use, in combination with the laser therapy, to try and achieve the best results possible.
The Birth of Laser Therapy in Treating Hair Loss
In 1967, while researching potential skin cancer treatments, researchers in Hungary incidentally discovered what many at the time labeled the “next” miracle hair loss cure: Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). In an attempt to analyze the role of laser therapy and skin cancer, the Hungarian researchers shaved the backs of cancer stricken mice and treated the subjects with laser treatments. While the effect on cancer was inconclusive, the researchers noticed something interesting: the mice treated with laser therapy (compared to the placebo or untreated group) re-grew the shaved hair quicker. From here, the idea of LLLT as a potential hair loss treatment was born.
Using laser for hair restoration? Mad or what!
Low level laser light, when applied to the scalp, is one of the newest therapies to treat hair loss. Laser therapies for hair restoration are available through hand-held laser devices and may be used at home, or in a medical setting under a physician’s supervision.
What are the facts about laser therapy for hair loss? Let’s take a look through evidence-based facts and unsubstantiated claims to learn about this treatment option.
Definitions: Understanding the Terminology
Lasers are widely used in medicine, in industry, in the military, and of course, as weapons in science-fiction. The laser’s energy used to stimulate hair growth is visible in the red light spectrum. Their use in treating hair loss and other medical conditions is defined as low-level laser therapy (LLLT). LLLT is sometimes included under a broader definition of phototherapy called “low-level light therapy” where the light-emitting device may be a laser or a light-emitting diode (LED).
Only laser energy has been proven effective in the treatment of hereditary hair loss whereas phototherapy using lasers and LEDs have numerous uses in medicine.
How LLLT Works
Light from a laser has an effect on your body when the specific wavelength of light is absorbed by molecules of the target tissue. When light energy is absorbed by target tissue molecules, the energy level of the molecules is increased and the molecules respond by “working off” the excess energy with adaptive changes. These changes may be chemical or physical and they may have biological effects on the target tissue or surrounding tissues.
HAVE THE BENEFITS OF LASER HAIR THERAPY BEEN SCIENTIFICALLY DOCUMENTED?
Yes! There have been multiple studies which clinically prove the efficacy and effectiveness of laser therapy.
2007- A recent double-blind placebo controlled study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Laser Hair Rejuvenation by comparing it with a sham or placebo laser.
The end result of the Lexington International clinical trials was the FDA approval of a very specific type, strength and wavelength of laser therapy for hair growth!
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF LASER HAIR RESTORATION
- The only non drug/medication approved FDA treatment for hair growth.
- Proven hair growth of over 19 new terminal hairs per square cm.
- Stops the progression of hair loss in 85% of the patients (clients).
- 78% increase in hair tensile strength.
- 25% increase in volume (thickness) from improved/repaired hair shaft quality.
- 54% increase in scalp blood flow.
- No prescription required.
- Pain free.
- Surgery free.
- Side effect free.
Low Level Laser Treatment for Hair Restoration 