New Study Shows Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) May be an Effective Hair Loss Treatment
For a number of years, low level laser therapy (LLLT) has been a controversial subject in the field of hair restoration. Some physicians believe LLLT – both as an at home treatment and a therapy offered in a medical office – is an effective hair loss therapy and recommend it to their patients; others do not think it offers any benefit and believe the science behind laser treatment is lacking. However, a new study reevaluated laser therapy as a hair loss treatment and came to a conclusion that may help shed light on the ongoing controversy: LLLT may – in fact – be an effective hair restoration treatment.
The new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, tested the HairMax laser comb on 272 men and women with genetic patterned hair loss (androgenic alopecia and female pattern hair loss) to determine if it created an increase in terminal hair density. The study – which was conducted at multiple dermatology institutions in the United States – recruited 146 male and 188 female hair loss sufferers (128 males and 141 females of which were selected for the study) and randomized them into two groups: those who received therapy with the laser comb (one of three different models that differed by the number of laser beams in the device) and those who received no treatment from a “sham” device. The patients received treatment over the entire scalp three times a week for 26 weeks. The density of terminal hair was analyzed at the start of the study, the 16 week, and the 26 week point, and both the researchers and the patients were unaware of which treatment group they were in (“double blinded”).
At the 26 week mark, the results showed the following: the mean terminal hair count at 26 weeks increased from baseline by 20.2, 20.6, 18.4, 20.9, and 25.7 per cm2 in 9-beam laser comb-treated female subjects, 12-beam laser comb-treated female subjects, 7-beam laser comb-treated male subjects, and 9- and 12-beam laser comb-treated male subjects, respectively, compared with 2.8 in sham-treated subjects (all at statistically significant levels). The increase in terminal hair density was independent of the age and sex of the subject and the lasercomb model. Additionally, a higher percentage of lasercomb-treated subjects reported overall improvement of hair loss condition and thickness and fullness of hair in self-assessment, compared with sham-treated subjects. No serious adverse events were reported in any subject receiving the laser comb in any of the four trials.
Simply put, the researchers noticed a reportable difference in the hair density of those treated with the laser comb compared to patients treated with the “sham” device. Based on this evidence, the researchers came to the conclusion that LLLT may be a safe and effective treatment for both male and female hair loss sufferers. It is worth noting that the researchers recommended additional studies to evaluate whether these effects remain in the long-term and which type of laser therapy is most effective. It is also important to mention that the study was partially funded by Lexington International, the company that makes the HairMax laser comb. Regardless, it appears to be one of the largest studies to evaluate LLLT as a hair loss treatment and did report some statistically significant increases in hair density. Whether or not these findings are repeatable or will be maintained in the long-term is yet to be seen, but it is an interesting turn in the LLLT debate.
To review the entire study, please see the following: Efficacy and Safety of a Low-Level Laser Device in the Treatment of Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss.
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Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning
Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
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Technorati Tags: low level laser therapy, LLLT, hair restoration, hair loss, androgenic alopecia, female pattern hair loss
May 1, 2014 @ 9:46 pm
I found your post very useful to your niche.
I do believe that laser therapy is very effective since I am currently using hair growth helmet to cure my severe hair shedding. It is belong to laser technology and gives me positive results.
March 10, 2014 @ 1:47 am
Thanks for sharing the information. I hope to read more about laser therapy treatment. I recently heard some news about hair loss treatment in Toronto. I found it useful too. And how much this laser treatment cost?
February 21, 2014 @ 1:14 pm
I am Leonard Stillman, Director of Professional Services at Lexington International, LLC, manufacturers of the HairMax LaserComb. This posting is not for commercial purposes, but to clarify this comment in the posting:
“It is also important to mention that the study was partially funded by Lexington International, the company that makes the HairMax laser comb.”
We believe that such a comment impugnes the conclusios of this study. The study was conducted under our sponsorship following the strict guidelines of GCp (Good Clinical Practices), which means that while we paid for the cost of conducting the studies, we were required to be TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY hands of when they were carried and monitored by an INDEPENDENT CRO (Contract Research Organization) to assure the independece of the studies. Once the protocol was designed and it was carefully reviewed andaccepted by an independent IRB (Investigation Review Board) at each institution which assured that the studies would be safe and that there were to be no influences by sponsor IN ANY WAY in the conduction of the studies, nor INFLUENCE IN ANY WAY, the findings from the studies.
The studies were conducted at some of the top institutions of dermatology by some of the top experts in hair loss, were carried out in a blinded manner, were evaluated in a blinded manner, yet to infer that our sponsorship might have had anything to do with the outcome of the trials is egregious and unacceptable.
We believe that your readers need to have this information so that they are assured that the results found were based solely on the outcome of the treatment of the subjects in the trials.
February 16, 2014 @ 10:55 pm
Great post. Thank you so much for sharing this article. I’ve learned so much from this, and I hope the future readers too. Now, I’ve so much information about LLLT. Hope to read more of your blogs. Again, thank you.