A firm in California claiming that they created a helmet that fires lasers at the scalp follicles and stimulate hair growth and development. It claims to grow healthy new hair, double the follicle size of exisiting hair, and can even prevent hair loss.
I have to admit that when I read the title of this article I was somewhat sceptical, as there are so many products claiming to stimulate hair growth in the media these days.
As my regular followers will appreciate I am not a fan of lasers to stimulate hair growth in any way. I read this article hoping that the manufacturers of the Thermadome Helmet may be medically qualified and have research to prove me wrong.
As a member of the Institute of Trichologists we are trained to take a holistic view of the patient suffering from hair loss considering many points including: diet, medical history, nutritional deficiencies, possible hormone imbalances, ethnicity and lifestyle. My reservation about this product is that it appears rather generic and it couldn’t possibly be suited to all the different types of hair loss both men and women can experience.
As this product is available off the shelf there is no guidance or support given face to face when using this helmet, so therefore certain scalp conditions that the patient may also be experiencing could be exacerbated with the use of laser in an uncontrolled environment.
In addition there is a visual suggestion that this treatment helmet may benefit the sufferers of hair loss in the similar way that a “cold cap” given to patients receiving chemotherapy exposure which protects the follicles.
Whilst there are several references in the media that hair loss is associated with poor blood flow this is rather vague and much more relevant to consider the content of various vitamins and minerals in the blood.
The best that can be achieved with this cap, is a placebo effect- the sufferer of hair loss may have a perceived condition therefore a belief that this will be doing something. They may benefit from a feeling of relaxation- sitting twice a week for 20 minutes. After a period of 100 days the sufferer can then contact a consultant Trichologist where prudent.
In order for me to take this claim seriously I would want to see proof that the Anagen phase of the hair actually increased, with sustained growth over several years following the use of the Thermadome and not simply an improvement of the quality of the hair shaft.
photo credit: Theradome
