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Fighting Hair Loss
By David P. Melamed,
MD, MSc
Excerpt from the
original article
published February
2007...
“ A new era of
non-surgical hair
restoration
technology is here
for men with hair
loss.
For obvious reasons,
most men are
skeptical of
treatments that
promise to reverse
hair loss. But a new
era of hair
restoration
technology, using
"cold" laser hair
therapy (LHT),
offers hope for
those who don't have
advanced hair loss.
LHT alone and in
combination with
topical and/or oral
medications has
produced excellent
results for men and
women.
Also known as "cold"
lasers, LHT uses
therapeutic soft
low-light level
lasers (LLLL) that
were developed in
Europe for healing
wounds, treating
hair loss and other
diseases of the
scalp.
The LHT program uses
a laser device with
multiple lasers on a
rotating head. The
rotating head is
housed in a moveable
hood that is
positioned directly
above the patient's
head. The patient is
seated while the
hood is lowered onto
the head,
approximately 2 cm
from the scalp. The
close proximity of
the laser to the
patient's scalp
allows for maximum
irradiation and
minimal dispersion
of the laser light
energy.
LHT is effective in
treating
androgenetic
alopecia and telogen
effluvium. Based on
the experience in my
practice, 80 percent
of patients with
androgenetic
alopecia report
increased hair
density after the
first three to six
months of treatment.
Nearly all of my
patients with
telogen effluvium
report complete
cessation of
shedding. The hair
growth continues
while patients
complete the full
one year of LHT and
will taper after 12
months. Most
patients will
require monthly
follow-up treatments
to maintain their
results. All
patients who take
oral or topical
medications are
encouraged to
continue on those as
well.
With LHT, we have
the enhanced
benefits of
low-light level
lasers that
stimulate
biophysical repair
and
neovascularization.
This is a remarkable
adjunct to the
combination of other
therapies we now
have. It warrants
further
consideration and
integration into
practices serious
about treating hair
loss. "
David P. Melamed,
MD, MSc, is in
private practice at
West LA Medical &
Skincare, with
offices in Los
Angeles and New
York. He specializes
in non-surgical
cosmetic
enhancements and age
management medicine.
He is a member of
the American Academy
of Aesthetic
Medicine and the
American Society for
Laser Surgery and
Medicine.
Disclosure: Dr.
Melamed indicates
that he has no
affiliations with
any commercial
entities, directly
or indirectly
referenced in this
article. |
