2. Phototherapy is becoming increasingly popular
among people suffering from pattern hair loss.
For one thing, it involves no medication and
surgery whatsoever. Although the
administration can be too pricey for a middle-
class man, it is still very safe. For another thing,
the only worst-case scenario a patient may
experience is when it does not work at all for
him/her.
Some people are still very skeptical about phototherapy as a treatment for
hairloss. Others say it is a mere money grab while others do trash talks online.
This is probably because they are less informed as to its actual mechanism. To
begin with, there is only a small amount of literature that proves its efficacy.
Unfortunately, until researchers learn the principles of photobiology,
phototherapy will stay remote from mainstream science. Yet to erase a little
doubt, here is a brief background.
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3. What is phototherapy?
To put it simply, phototherapy is the use of artificial light from ultraviolet
rays of the sun to treat a specific medical condition. It is otherwise known
as light therapy.
The use of phototherapy remains experimental because there are no hard
and fast rules in rendering it. Depending on the medical issue, the
phototherapy units, the types of wavelength, or the amount of exposed
skin can vary significantly. But typically, using phototherapy as
treatment for hairloss only depends on the convenience rather than the
efficacy of the variables.
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4. Brief History
The use of light has come a long way to make it to the field of medicine. A
quantifiable body of research actually proves the effectiveness of
phototherapy in restoring hair.
Real interests in phototherapy stemmed from the 19th century. But the
actual turning point was when Niels Finsen won a Nobel Prize in 1903 for
using it to treat lupus vulgaris. Since then, phototherapy became so many
things for several medical issues such as tuberculosis and leg ulcers.
In the 1970s, phototherapy turned into a dermatological term. At that
time, light engineers, photophysicists, and dermatologists took serious
attention in developing ultraviolet beam to treatment.
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5. Phototherapy as a treatment for hairloss
Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is the phototherapy used to treat the most
common type of androgenetic alopecia or pattern baldness. Professor Endre
Mester, a Hungarian physician, is the man responsible for the foundations of
LLLT as one of the effective hair loss treatments.
Low level lasers induce photobiostimulation, a natural process by which cellular
metabolism improves. This is exactly how hair restoration becomes possible with
laser therapy.
Another type of phototherapy which is used to treat hair loss (sometimes
alongside LLLT) is light emitting diode therapy (LEDT). LEDs massage the blood
vessels to increase the passageway of the nutrients going to the hair follicles.
With revitalized hair follicles, hair regrowth ensues.
Thus, it is said that LEDT and LLLT complement each other when used together
as a treatment for hairloss. Hair clinics and salons offer LLLT and LEDT. Laser
combs are also made available to give the benefit of home-use. Some laser
combs use both LLLT and LEDT for more effective results.
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