Androgenetic alopecia – also known as male pattern baldness – is a known disease that causes hair fall in men and women. Androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair fall seen in both men and women. The reason behind this disease is entirely genetic.
Red light therapy has been in use for quite some time now. This equipment has respectively been used in different doctor’s chambers, skincare centers, and various therapy centers. But, there was always controversy surrounding whether this kind of light therapy really works or not.
The recent development in the making of LED lights has seen different organizations taking it upon themselves to help people get red light products in their respective homes. With mass production, the product has seen a fall in price, making it accessible for a wide range of customers.
It was only a matter of time until scientists got to the bottom of this kind of light therapy’s efficacy. As numerous studies have been underway for years, the results are starting to come in, and they are very positive!
The study in question was conducted with 81 patients of androgenetic alopecia, their age ranging from 18 to 65 years. The study was conducted with every single detailed measure in mind. For example, the research was done even with the placebo implications in mind.
To get the best results, the researchers divided the volunteers or patients into two separate groups. One group was given the primary treatment of red light therapy from a LED red light device, and the rest of the group were provided therapy by a fake tool that was not really red light therapy.
Over the course of 26 weeks, the patients received the treatment for 10 minutes per day. 90% of the patients that received the original treatment completed the study in contrast with 88% of those in the group that received fake treatment.
In the words of Rodney Sinclair, the primary study investigator himself, “we specifically designed this clinical trial with the rigor of a pharmaceutical trial.” It only goes on to further strengthen the position of this study compared to minuscule studies that have proven red light therapy to work.
The results of the study were primarily presented at the 2020 Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference, which took place in Hawaii. The results shocked everyone by proving that the group that received the original treatment had 26.3 more hairs per cm2 than those who received placebo treatment.
Moreover, the clinical data in the study proved that red light therapy significantly reduced burning, itching, and irritation that the participants of the research previously had. 83.4% of the participants receiving the original treatment reported to “never” or “rarely” having pruritus, which means scalp itches. On the contrary, only 44% of the volunteers receiving placebo treatments could report the same for themselves.
The study proves that red light therapy is indeed a viable option, maybe one of the few, for treating hair loss. This study will open doors for other researchers to dive deeper into the realm of red light therapy to prove its other benefits.
