Gilgamesh,
There’s not a whole lot of real solid data on hair rejuvination out there with this method, and not a whole lot here. But, equally, we should have that kind of representation here in that it would round out the knowledge on this forum. Maybe a few dermatologists would drop by and give us the skinny on what they believe works and what doesn’t. Hair loss in middle age men is as large an issue as unwanted facial hair on women.
For every person asking for a solution to their concern, I think their are two that would be happy to take their money and give them a bottle of snake oil. BUT, I’m always happy to see people at least try new, non-medication, based methods. Too many times doctors will hand them the rogaine/minoxydol and tell them to come back in a month.
Using laser light to stimulate hair growth, I think, is either very tricky and complex, or very basic. I say that because you have to look at the factors for the hair falling out in the firstplace; circulation, hormone shift, heredity, and general health. A laser at low level can only do a few things:
It can be absorbed by proteins, enzymes, and lipid receptor sites, slightly alter their confirmations and binding sites, and hopefull kick start the follical into producing hair again. But this is a very vast, intricate approach. There are a great many things that are involved with hair growth. Way too many to all get back in synch with a one-wavelength pulse of energy. You’re dealing with massive proteins, possibly thousands of amino acids in length, with possibly multiple binding (activation) sites. I just find it extremely difficult to believe that the people implimenting these low level lasers have that much scientific and spectra data on all these biochemicals that they are trying to target. If this approach were valid, then the pulses would have to be extremely well-timed, and they would have to make sure that a pulse that assisted in one protein’s activation, wouldn’t necessarily decrease the activity of another integral protein for hair growth.
Okay so, what other ways could a laser stimulate hair growth. Well, despite the laser being called ‘cold’, it is in the 650 nanometer range. The red range. The deep heat carrying range. Heat will give capillary dilation, capillary capacity will bring circulation, circulation will give oxygenation. Much more likely to assist in hair growth. Much more basic and likely. The laser, if effective, is heating up your scalp’s capillary beds. By using it too much, you’re distrupting connective lipids that keep the hair anchored in the hair sheath, so they’re shedding easier. Not necessarily killing hair, but making it impossible to stick around for long.
If I invested in that lore of hair restoration? I wouldn’t over use the machine. Would not. Because once you start disrupting binding tissues, you’re possibly pushing hair follicals into more non-growing stages by taking away the very hair that the little struggling papilla has been earnestly working on. You want no shedding because you want the hair follicals active as possible. Me? I would do other things to assist in that way of thinking; circulation-oxygenation-growth. I would switch to a very light, non-comedogenic soap/shampoo, I would massage the scalp, I would drink lots of water, and I would try not to expose my scalp in colder weather.
Good luck with that, but don’t make the mistake of over-use for the belief that it’s a saving grace. Take care of your general health and skin first, that will go a long way.
Mantaray
