» since people here are what I regard as the ultimate authority on hair loss
» (more so than doctors), what is your opinion on laser therapy ? Is it a
» bunch of BS (which i think it is) or is there something to it?
»
» You got clinics pushing this laser stuff and I fear they may be selling
» false hope to desperate people. The video mentions $3000 to $5000 dollars
» per year for a 1 year treatment and you got to stay with the program. I
» get the feeling the clinic is preparing to put people on a treadmill to
» milk the maximum amount from these people.
»
» So what’s your professional opinion on this laser therapy stuff.
»
» http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8CydqnNUmE
Built my own, used it for almost 2 years at the treatment-time prescribed by the wisdom of this forum. Around 20 minutes per exposed area (3x20 in my case, as I did not have a full helmet).
Hair got markedly stronger and shinier, but continued to lose hair. Scalp got tired/painful sensation at the 40 minute mark. Feels like a deep sunburn.
Conventional (very much anecdotal) wisdom was that this sensation was what made the whole thing work.
Culled results from about 50 laser users showed the same thing: shinier, stronger hair, decreased hairloss, but very little to no re-growth.
I stopped using it for a couple of months, but started using it again after another forum-poster suggested markedly shorter treatment time based on data he had gotten from a real clinic. 8 minutes for light skin/dark hair, slightly more for blondes.
I am light skinned, have very light hair. I’ve been doing it for 11 minutes (11x3, so 33 minutes total) once a week, instead of the “usual” 3 times a week.
Cut my hair for the first time in a year - went in with the intent of shaving it all off. Couldn’t stop smiling after I got a short hair-cut.
It’s hard to pin-point the difference, other than that it looks terrific, and I’ve been told as much. Front is still a little weak, but the whole hair looks almost artificially strong, and sleek like fur (or a child’s hair, really).
Hairloss is at an absolute zero. I can comb as much as I want and not get a single additional hair than my sides and back. I have been at this treatment for 3 months now, twice a week at first, and now once a week. Will continue with once every 10 days.
This is how real clinics do it, and it’s well documented that you need to phase it down after a month or two to keep the good effect going. Using it frequently becomes counter-productive.
I am of the (strong) opinion that the intentions of laser builders were great, but the real understanding of the effect was lacking. The 20 minute treatment was based on some math, but something apparently as missing.
I was all ready to put my helmet in the attic and forget about it, but gave it a go based on one guy’s contrary advice, and it worked out great. I was pretty much set to do some experimental full-scale DIY follica thing, but right now, those plans are well off at the moment.
I think the community needs to re-evaluate lasers, and those that got less than satisfatory results from their helmets, should give it another go, at significantly less expose time. There is absolutely NO evidence that supports that tingling/discomfort/sun-burnt feeling is beneficial, and if anything, plenty of anecdotal evidence that it’s counter-productive.
Laser-treatment is always painless and without discomfort. As with anything else, it works best as a combined therapy, and the more hair you have, the more impressive the result.
Taking down hair-loss to an impressive zero (or very close to near zero) is impressive in its own right. It is a cheap treatment to construct, and if you handle it will care, will last for many years, if not a life-time. There is absolutely no reason to go to a real clinic.
Even if you spring for high-end premium laser diodes, you can still construct a great helmet-device for well below half the price of a year’s worth of treatment.
Those places exist for people who did not grow up on the internet.