Laser Therapy ...an alternative ?

[Robinson90]

Hey guys sorry for a questions to be my first post but just wondering is anyone has tried LLLT? Laser therapy… I’ve tried a few different things but am curious about this. I’ve been reading http://www.laserhairgrowthfacts.com/How-It-Actually-Works.html and it presents some good arguments but I don’t want to pay for anything until I have some unbiased thoughts on this?

[Lain]

Hey Robinson90 and welcome to the forum,

Well Dr Rassman has written fairly often about LLLT on the blog before. You can read some good posts following these links:

http://www.baldingblog.com/2008/05/02/reader-adds-to-the-lasercomb-fda-debate/
http://www.baldingblog.com/2009/05/22/take-one-more-objective-look-at-lllt/
http://www.baldingblog.com/2009/01/28/what-does-a-laser-comb-actually-do/

If you are a lazy reader I can also sum it up for you: Till now there is no real scientific evidence that this laser actually works. Dr Rassman had a laser in his office and he offered its use to patients for free. However in his opinion it did not work.

The laser is FDA approved. However it is approved for safety not that it actually regrows/ maintains hair.

There are some people on the internet who claim that the laser did good for them. However people claim a lot of things in the world wide web. The information you sometimes gather is very unreliable.

Minoxidil and Finasteride remain the only two products which have been approved by the FDA for safety and efficiency in terms of treating hair loss.

If you have unlimited money and unlimited life time you could go for the laser otherwise I would rather refrain from its use.

[Mark]

Hey guys sorry for a questions to be my first post but just wondering is anyone has tried LLLT? Laser therapy… I’ve tried a few different things but am curious about this. I’ve been reading http://www.laserhairgrowthfacts.com/How-It-Actually-Works.html and it presents some good arguments but I don’t want to pay for anything until I have some unbiased thoughts on this?

Hi Robinson,

The short answer (Lain did a great job as usual) is that there really isn't any evidence that LLLT does anything at all. We had a machine in our old office for quite a while and saw absolutely no positive results from it.

It's modern day snake oil. The thing that bothers me the most about LLLT companies is that they always tout that their products are FDA approved, implying that they are proven by the FDA to regrwo hair. But that's not true. The FDA has only said that they will not harm you.

Hope that helps your decision.

-Mark

[LAZERFISH]

I would like to know what laser machine Dr. Rassman had in his office, the total power of said machine and the treatment protocol for each patient who decided to use it.

Although I am not a fan of the Hairmax lasercomb, it was FDA cleared for the promotion of hair growth.
Meaning that Hairmax can actuallly say that it grows hair without getting busted by the FDA.

As you know, other products can't say that without getting in trouble by the FDA.

Dr. Rassman is fond of saying that he only believes FDA approved/cleared treatments are effective and yet he disagrees with the FDA that laser therpay can be used to promote hair regrowth.....kinda strange don't ya think? LOL!

[LAZERFISH]

This is the second device to be cleared for hairloss by the FDA.
The MEP-90 Hair Growth Stimulation System -an LLLT device gets cleared for the treatment of FPB.

Both this Device and the Hairmax were cleared not only for safety, but for EFFICACY~~~ meaning they WORK to grow hair.

I wonder what Dr. Rassman has to say about that?

Since my post wasn't answered by either moderator, I'll just assume that there really wasn't any protocol for use of the LLLT unit in Dr. Rassman's office.

My thinking is that whenever a patient 'Just happened' to be in the office, they would do a treatment. It's like applying minoxidil once a week. Basically useless unless the proper protocol is followed.

Now, LLLT is no miracle treatment. Moderately effective in my opinion. But the FDA must be taking LLLT as a viable treatment seriously for them to Clear another device.

[Mark]

This is the second device to be cleared for hairloss by the FDA.
The MEP-90 Hair Growth Stimulation System -an LLLT device gets cleared for the treatment of FPB.

Both this Device and the Hairmax were cleared not only for safety, but for EFFICACY~~~ meaning they WORK to grow hair.

I wonder what Dr. Rassman has to say about that?

Since my post wasn't answered by either moderator, I'll just assume that there really wasn't any protocol for use of the LLLT unit in Dr. Rassman's office.

My thinking is that whenever a patient 'Just happened' to be in the office, they would do a treatment. It's like applying minoxidil once a week. Basically useless unless the proper protocol is followed.

Now, LLLT is no miracle treatment. Moderately effective in my opinion. But the FDA must be taking LLLT as a viable treatment seriously for them to Clear another device.

all the FDA says is that it won't harm you. They make no claims about its effectiveness regarding growing hair.

That's something I find to be pretty scummy about these Laser device makers. They clearly put on it "FDA APPROVED!" and they KNOW that people are going to see that and think it means that the FDA has concluded that it really does grow hair.

Unfortunately we haven't seen a single hint of any evidence that it works. Sorry to say that, but it's the truth.

I just wish these companies would stop being so scummy and deceptive. They play on peoples fears to sell them a bogus product. I don't know how they sleep at night.

[LAZERFISH]

Hi Mark:

Your information that the FDA cleared laser devices mentioned in my previous posts were only cleared for SAFETY is in ERROR. They have also been cleared for EFFICACY!
Hairmax can OFFICIALLY say that their product can REGROW HAIR and so can the
MEP-90. That is a FACT, Mark.

You are providing INACCURATE info to your readers.

The FDA would be all over Hairmax like white on rice if they were making claims that weren't FDA cleared.

There are unethical people in every field, including the hair transplant field as well. Many doctors just trying to make a fast buck.

Yes, many LLLT makers are over exaggerating what LLLT can and can't do to sell their products. Fortunately, I am NOT one of them. Never have been, never will be.

LLLT is a viable treatment option so long as people know it has limits of what it can and can't achieve.


Good Luck!

[LAZERFISH]

This is the link talking about FDA clearance for the Hairmax that it is cleared for not only safety but efficacy for certain skin/balding types.

http://hairmax.com/fda-510-k-medical-device-clearance

Now if Hairmax isn't being truthful, then they would be in big trouble I would think.

[HairyHair]

Low level laser treatments for hair loss hasn't been getting positive feedback and I think it says a lot about the product especially since it's quite expensive.
The only thing I'm sure of is that it is FDA approved SAFE to use, not sure (and still doubtful) about its efficacy, but if it's also FDA approved for that then may it might be effective....after 10 years of continuous use? :|

[LAZERFISH]

Hairyhair said: 'Low level laser treatments for hair loss hasn't been getting positive feedback and I think it says a lot about the product especially since it's quite expensive.'

That statement all depends on who you talk to.
Dr. Rassman doesn't believe it works because he supposedly had a machine in his office but were those patients who were using it following the proper use protocols or were they just dropping in once and a while for a treatment???
If proper use protocols were followed, are there before /after photos showing no results? Was everything properly documented, before a conclusion that LLLT was ineffective reached? I would like to see that data.

Or was it just a casual thing to have the machine available? Kinda like come and sit under it for 20minutes if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Dr. Bauman and Dr. Berstein believe it has some benefit.
Dr. Rabin and other MIT physicists who invented the Laser Cap believe it has benefits.
Dr. Maricle who invented the Sunetics Clinical Laser Unit believes it has some benefits.
More importantly many customers going to Laser Salons believe they have seen benefits.

If you are not actually working in the field of LLLT and you're not talking to actual LLLT users on a daily basis, you just can't come out with a blanket statement like: "Low level laser treatments for hair loss hasn't been getting positive feedback" just because you read some reviews from 'some guys' on an internet hair loss board.


Granted there are some that don't see benefits unfortunately, but that can be said for any other treatment out there.
LLLT works more for thickening existing hair/ reducing hair fallout than it does at growing hair back especially if you have been balding for a long time.

Your 'after 10 yrs of continuous use' statement is invalid since every treatment on the planet is for life.

Good Luck!