So, someone asks me on the internet whether laser works for hair loss. If it works, he says… Well, it depends on whether it’s the right laser. Imagine that the American FDA, for the past four decades, has only approved three methods for treating hair loss. One is the substance minoxidil, which comes in topical form as a lotion or foam. The other is the finasteride pill, and the third is laser. This one here, LLLT, which stands for Low Level Laser Therapy.
Lasers are not something new in hair loss treatment. Especially low-intensity lasers have been around for decades, but now we’ve reached a level where they can truly be effective. When they first came out 10–15 years ago, they were brushes you had to comb your hair with, and they had 6 or at most 9 laser diodes. This device here has 272.
Low Level Laser Therapy is different from the other two FDA-approved treatments in one very important aspect: it has absolutely no side effects. Minoxidil lotion and the finasteride pill may have some minor side effects, but for laser there has been no reported side effect in any of the studies. It’s equally effective, and in fact even more effective in women than in men. This is great news because, until now, women were at a disadvantage: they could only use minoxidil, which sometimes caused unwanted hair growth or thicker hair on the arms, while the finasteride pill could not be given to women.
Now, with these new powerful low-intensity lasers, we’ve really seen amazing results in women with hair loss. What I’m using right now is the office edition — the clinical version of this laser, done in the doctor’s office during scheduled visits, with a protocol depending on the patient, the level and stage of hair loss. But there is also a home edition, which someone can take home and use according to a protocol, under monitoring, without having to come into the clinic — in the comfort of their home, at whatever time of day they want.
A very important advantage of these lasers is that they don’t need to be used every day. Unlike other treatments — minoxidil, which must be applied twice a day, or finasteride, taken once daily — this laser only needs to be used three times a week, on specific days agreed between the patient and doctor, to have equal effectiveness. And without making the hair greasy, without ruining its texture, and without any systemic or topical side effect.
As a doctor, I can say this laser has helped me a lot to treat hair loss in patients where it was previously very difficult, if not impossible. It’s no coincidence that I’m sitting here myself, undergoing laser therapy too. And don’t imagine the home edition is some kind of big machine — not at all. It’s a simple jockey cap, specially designed with the same number of laser diodes and the same effectiveness as this one here.
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