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February 2005


Laser Comb Touted As New Way To Fight Hair Loss


When a person's hair starts to fall out, there are few solutions. But now, for the estimated 60 million Americans who experience various stages of hair loss, there may be a new option.

"It's a new way to improve the appearance of hair -- no surgery, no hair plugs," Dr. Bruce Hensel reported. "It's cutting-edge technology that holds promise."

It's called the laser comb, and its makers say it works the same way plants use sunlight to grow. "This light souce provides energy to the cell," Dr. Craig Ziering, of Ziering Medical, told Hensel, as he demonstrated the comb. "And this energy helps the cell function better."

The laser comb uses a low-level cold beam to stimulate hair follicles and increase blood flow. "What happens in genetic hair loss is, you get a miniturization, or shrinking of the actual hair shaft or follicle," Ziering explained. "What these devices try to do is try to stop that and thicken those hair shafts again."

lasercomb

Hensel said the laser comb uses cold light to stimulate hair follicles to grow, without affecting surrounding tissues. In the past, this could only be done in a doctor's office.

But now, it can be done at Hair Loss. Rob Angelino tried the device when his hair began thinning.

"I didn't know what to do," Angelino told Hensel. "And I was trying topical stimulants, to try to stimulate follicles. I was trying different shampoos."

Then a friend told him about the laser comb. He said he used it two to three times a week at Hair Loss, for 10- to 15-minute intervals.

"You place that on the hair, and it beeps every 4 or 5 seconds, and you shift it," Angelino explained as he demonstrated. "And that's how the energy is transfered to the hair." Angelino said he noticed a change after four months.

Those little tiny hairs that are just under the surface of skin, they had begun sprouting, and the hairs around that were growing thicker and fuller," he said. The before-and-after photos show the difference, Ziering said.

"What I have seen with my patients is that in as little as 4 to 8 weeks, they have said that their hair is fuller or thicker," Ziering said. Angelino said he's happy with his results.

"I'm astounded," he said. "Still astounded to this day." Hensel said some experts won't comment on or recommend the laser comb, saying more research is needed. But if you do use it, it's recommended that the laser comb be used regularly to maintain the health of hair -- like brushing your teeth to maintain appearance. The laser comb is still undergoing FDA review for clearance as a medical device for hair loss.

Hensel said the laser comb costs about $650. Viewers who want more information can visit HairMax.com