A Japanese device has been launched which might just take the prize for the best looking hair loss cure on the market. But does it work? We look closer.
LED
Light emitting diodes, to give them their proper name, have been amazing us ever since they first appeared.. on the faces of the first pocket calculators. It is not a laser, which sends “coherent” light with the same frequency and phase to produce powerful penetrating light. In comparison, LED lights produce “incoherent” light with multiple phases and light scattered in all directions. Today LED’s are revolutionising the way we light our homes and social spaces, capable of producing huge amounts of light from relatively small amounts of electricity at the same time producing almost no heat. Remarkable.
LLLT
Another acronym, this one stands for Low-Level Light Therapy. It has long been known that red light at a wavelength near to infra-red can stimulate cellular activity. This property has seen it used in medical environments to aid post-operative tissue repair. The same property is credited for bringing this technology to the hair loss market.
Japanese Cool
Japanese manufacturer Aderans have launched their version of the LED hair loss helmet, others are available. As are combs and brushes using the same technology and all will claim their delivery method is preferable and superior.
This one caught our eye because the designers set out to make sure it did. Putting you in mind immediately of the cycle helmets the professionals wear on the Tour De France it is, for us, undoubtedly the best looking device on the market. To be used, and this can be done at home or in a salon, a Microgen paste must be applied to the scalp prior to the helmet being worn… and the 80 LED lights do their work.
Does It Work?
It certainly seems to on mice, but then how many times over the years have we reported that story only to never hear any more from the research. LED benefits from being a treatment that is external and so not subject to the rigours of clinical trials aimed at seeking FDA approval… though the upside there is that these products can come very quickly to market.
In fact there have been no studies of a significant enough size for the medical bodies to put their support behind them in any official capacity. Those that have been conducted indicate some measurable benefit and suggest they may be able to help in some way with reducing progress… but even that is a dubious claim given that with small scale studies it is impossible to have a good enough control to be sure that these were not just sufferers for whom the advance of their hair loss is not entering a natural pause.
HIS Hair Clinic
We see these devices as being of benefit as part of a broader strategy, unless you have made the decision to go with Scalp Micropigmentation… in which case it is rendered unnecessary. If your plan is to improve your diet, exercise regularly and quit smoking and drinking… then an LED helmet would seem to make a sensible addition to your routine. On a final note, we are not sure how much value looking cool adds to an LED helmet… it’s not as though you are going to wear it when you are stepping out.
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