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New Studies Show “Hair-Growing Laser Helmet” Can Reverse Hair Loss for Both Men and Women
An interview with Jeff Braile of Apira Science
According to the American Hair Loss Association, by the age of 35, two-thirds of American men will experience some degree of appreciable hair loss, and by the age of 50 approximately 85 percent of men will have significantly thinning hair. The association adds that hair loss is not limited to men; American women actually make up 40 percent of hair loss sufferers.
For these millions of individuals, there is some good news:
A new, non-surgical, non-invasive, non-prescription approach for treating thinning hair and hair loss (androgenic alopecia) has been cleared by the FDA for in-home use. According to two studies recently published in the journal Lasers in Surgery and Medicine*, a bicycle helmet-type device fitted with low level laser and LED lights called The iGrow was able to increase scalp hair growth in men by 35 percent and increase scalp hair growth in women by 37 percent when worn on the head for 25 minutes, four times per week, over a 16-week period.
“The device tested by the researchers was a specially designed home-use device that employed the same dual laser and LED light technology that we used in our stationary in-office laser hair growth system, which has been used successfully by transplant physicians and dermatologists to stimulate hair growth for many years,” says Jeff Braile, President of the Medical Products Division of Apira Science Inc., developers of The iGrow.
Braile says dermatologists have been aware for several decades about the effect that low level laser light (665 nanometers) has on hair growth.
“The light produces a biostimulation of the hair follicles and surrounding tissues,” says Braile. “We’re increasing circulation of blood into the area around the follicle, and we’re also stimulating a flow of harmful waste products away from the follicle, unblocking and enlarging it. The photons actually stimulate the cells’ mitochondria, making the cells more energetic and vibrant, thereby rejuvenating the health and function of the follicle.”
While the studies showed that The iGrow was able to markedly increase hair growth in both men and women after a 16-week period, Braile says the full cosmetic benefits of the treatment aren’t often truly visible until four to six months after beginning treatment.
“Healthy hair only grows one-half inch per month; that’s why it may take four to six months to achieve the maximum possible cosmetic benefit from using iGrow,” says Braile.
*Refs: available as .pdf files on request
1) “The Growth of Human Scalp Hair in Females Using Visible Red Light Laser and LED Sources”, Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 46:601-607 (2014)
2) “The Growth of Human Scalp Hair Mediated by Visible Red Light Laser and LED Sources in Males”, Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 45:487–495 (2013)