Laser Comb Facts

The laser comb is a device that is designed to stimulate hair growth by using low light energy  technology.  The theory behind this is the light waves will increase the temperature of the scalp and hair follicles and thus promote growth.  There are many web sites who are offering the laser comb for sale so you should check around to find the best price if you want to get one.  There is a large range in prices so, like anything on the web, I would look at a lot of different places to get the best deal.

The company who manufactures and markets the laser comb has received a letter from the FDA saying they can sell a particular model of the device for hair loss in men suffering from some forms of baldness.  This letter does not state that the medical device actual performs as it is advertised.  What it does say is that the device will not cause any harm.  This is not the same thing.

As a criteria for sales, the company is required to study the actual affects of the device on hair growth with a properly developed and executed plan.  So far the results of these studies have not be published for peer review or for the public.

Hair loss affects many men as they age with the amount of hair loss increases the older a man gets.  The majority of hair loss in men is caused by a genetically transferred condition known as Male Pattern Baldness or MPB.  When a man suffers from male pattern baldness the hair follicles actually lose their ability to grow the hair shaft.  The shaft diameter decreases over time and eventually turns into what is known as peach fuzz.  The last stage is the shaft falls out and the man is completely bald in that area.

It has been determined that male pattern baldness is caused by a build up of DHT on the hair follicles.  DHT is a metabolite of testosterone which is the male sex hormone.  Testosterone has many functions in the bodies of both men and women but the most predominate one is in the development of the male sex organs during puberty.  DHT is manufactured in the body from testosterone.

In some men, and women too, the DHT tends to build up on the hair follicles at the barrier between the blood supply and the follicle.  This inhibits the transfer of oxygen and nutrients to the follicle and thus slows down the manufacture of hair shaft material.  As this build up becomes more pronounced it continues to shut off the supply and the hair withers.  Eventually the hair shaft completely dies and falls out.

The laser comb, and other laser hair restoration devices, is designed to heat up the follicles and thus supposedly allow for more blood flow.  Heat, when applied in moderation, does increase blood flow.  That is why a cut bleeds more on a hot summer afternoon that on a cold winter day.  Whether this idea can transfer to laser hair treatment has not been proven.  In fact the only evidence that these devices increase hair growth is anecdotal evidence from patients who use the laser comb and laser brush.

Laser hair growth is a term that has been used to describe the advertised effects of these devices but this would not really be the correct term to use.  Instead, it should be heat therapy because that is really all the manufacturers are claiming happens.  Laser hair regrowth would indicate the laser light itself was the cause of the regrowth but if there is any affect it would be from the heat it appears at this time.