Lasers and Hair Growth

Can you stimulate the scalp to grow hair with Lasers? One hair restoration site was promoting hair growth with Lasers used for women’s hair loss.

The following is just my personal opinion. In my practice I have offered lasers and have carried out limited trials on various lasers offered. I got these lasers free so I tested them on my patients and did not charge them for these treatments. I saw no consistent benefits from the lasers in most of the patients who had the treatment. Some patients have reported subjective benefits and they have been happy. But I have not seen the benefit on a measurable scale so I do not promote it in my practice.

Low Level Laser Light Therapy (LLLT) is pushed by many doctors because they sell these lasers as laser combs, Laser Hats and other Laser delivery systems under the premise that they bring blood to the balding area and the hair growth therefore improves or there is some direct impact of the LLLT therapy on the hair. There has been no clinical demonstration that these lasers actually help grow hair. If in fact it did bring blood to the area (which I doubt), bringing blood to the area cannot make hair appears where it has died from genetic hair loss. As hair is being lost, it is often impacted by miniaturization (a transition period leading to full hair loss in some people) and the Lasers have not been shown to be effective in these conditions either. Hair won’t suddenly appear, but your wallet will get lighter. Some doctors make a killing selling lasers for as much as $3,000 each.