Laser Hair Therapy

Someone once described medical lasers as a cure in search of an illness.

It was, therefore, not too surprising to see that in recent years they have, in addition to their use in ophthalmic and other surgery, been applied to the treatment of classic male and female pattern baldness (or thinning).

The background

For both males and females, hair thinning and loss is normal – particularly as age progresses.

In fairly large numbers of both sexes, this ‘normal’ hair loss can start to take place at an earlier age than usual and progress at a faster rate.

When not attributable to a directly known cause such as an infection or medication etc, such hair loss tends to be called pattern baldness.

This is because in both sexes the hair loss can follow one of a known number of patterns in terms of its progression. It is also often called premature or male/female pattern baldness to distinguish it from the slower and more anticipated hair thinning and loss associated with older age.

In the majority of cases, the exact specific causal mechanism is not clearly identifiable – and a very general, sometimes casual attribution of ‘genes’ or ‘hormones’ is often made to describe the cause.

Treatments

People have tried for centuries to find a ‘cure’ for pattern baldness.

Even in times of modern medical science, this has proven to be evasive due to the large number of potentially interacting causes.

One of the more recent treatments has involved the above-mentioned use of lasers.

Laser hair therapy (LHT) – the principles

The basic technique involves applying low-intensity red-light laser emissions to the scalp.

This stimulates the follicles by generating an increased flow of red blood cells with the theory being that this in turn means they will produce hair more quickly than if they were not stimulated.

The technology and approach is frequency used in conjunction with other forms of treatment including the application of various preparations to the scalp.

The lasers are very low-powered and this treatment is sometimes referred to as ‘cold laser therapy’.

This is a non-invasive treatment without, as far as is known or generally accepted, any appreciable physical risk.

The anecdotal basis of the approach

For a long time people have known or at least believed, that their hair grew thicker and faster in summertime.

The theory was that if the red light effects of natural sunlight could be replicated then this might stimulate hair growth – hence the user of lasers.

Some of the early research on this actually goes back to experiments on mice in the 1960s.

Perceptions of success and definitions

Trying to accurately and objectively assess the efficacy of this treatment is difficult – partly, at least, due to definitions.

Pattern baldness may generate in both sexes:

• a receding hair line ( more common in males);
• hair loss and non-replacement;
• bald spots (more common again in men).

It is intuitively unlikely that suffers of either sex would set faster growing hair alone as a criterion of the success of any treatment. Most people wish to have lost hair (e.g. bald spots) regenerated or at least the rate of loss slowed down/stopped.

This is where difficulties arise because there seems little unanimity amongst experts as to the outcomes of this treatment.

Expert assessment seems to fall into one of the following categories:

• The treatment is effective in increasing the rate of growth of hair

Some people agree that this takes place – but only on hair where the root has not already died.

This means that although some overall thickening in hair quantity and gauge may be achieved, this may be marginal in percentage terms and does not replenish areas that are bald or very thin due to dead roots.

• The treatment is effective in regenerating hair

This is the main objective for many pattern baldness sufferers but unfortunately dead roots appear to be permanently dead and relatively few experts claim that this treatment has any effect on ‘permanent’ bald or thin patches of hair.

However, some treatment centers may be imprecise on this point and seek to avoid explicit differentiation between this effect and the one discussed above.

• The treatment is at best unproven and at worst totally ineffective other than as a placebo

Some sources claim that there is no significant objective evidence that this treatment can halt hair loss, significantly thicken hair or regenerate ‘dead hair’.

Summary

Many people, including some of those treated, seem to feel that this treatment may have some benefits in terms of improving the thickness of individual hairs and possibly overall hair population thickness by increasing the rates of growth from follicles that have not actually died.

It seems very difficult to validate this objectively and many of the source studies outlined on the Internet appear to be linked to the service providers.

Perhaps the treatment’s efficacy can best be summarized as being ‘controversial’ or perhaps ‘unproven’.

However, given that the treatment seems to be accepted as being safe (though far from low-cost) many sufferers may decide to try it themselves.