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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. |
