Does minoxidil and low level laser therapy together regrow genetic hair loss?

Question

I m 18 years old I have genitic hair loss 5 months ago I started minoxidil I regrow all my lost hair but after 5 month I lost all of that. Now I want to add lllt with minoxidil. Do this two method regrow all my hair permanently

Amiya Prasad, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. You state you’re 18-years-old with genetic pattern loss, and you tried minoxidil 5 months ago but you described that any hair might have regrown has been lost. You’re asking if a combination of minoxidil and low-level laser light therapy will help regrow your hair more permanently.
I can share with you how I approach situations like yours, even without specific data such as your appearance and family history. A little background: I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. Hair transplant and hair loss treatment are very significant parts of my practice. I am the founder of TrichoStem™ Hair Regeneration Centers based on a system we developed over 7 years ago that evolved out of improving hair transplant outcomes, and we ultimately developed a treatment system for genetic pattern hair loss for men and women with a variety of case scenarios which I will discuss in further detail.
Understand that genetic pattern hair loss is something that’s hardwired in the DNA, and what we are doing in medical practice is either managing the progression, or managing the consequence. In hair transplant surgery, you’re essentially talking about placing hair grafts where there is hair loss so you can try to manage the consequence of hair loss progression . 
When it comes to medical therapy, you’ve already tried minoxidil, and way observed how effective this drug can be in your situation. Although the exact mechanism of how minoxidil works is not known, we know through observation that it appears to prolong the growth cycles of thinning hair, which is dependent on the length of that growth cycle. 
When I look at patients who have younger onset and very aggressive progression, that means the number of growth cycles they have programmed in the DNA are few, and they are rapidly getting shorter and shorter. You may have some effective prolongation of your hair growth cycle, but you saw that it was not sustainable. 
For low-level laser light therapy, it’s a very popular treatment that people buy in various forms of combs, helmets, or in professional circumstances where they sit under a light. We’ve had experience with this strategy before we were doing Hair Regeneration, and from my experience, I’m not that impressed. When we do anything, we want to see very strong, tangible results. We had a patient come in from another country who bought the professional model of the low-level light laser therapy device used in a doctor’s office in her own home, and she spent over 20 thousand dollars for this device, and sat under it in a very disciplined manner for 3 years. She ultimately got frustrated, and flew over here where we did her injection. 
One thing you have to understand when you ask the question about “permanently” is in medicine, we don’t have permanent solutions for hair loss. What we have are management strategies. My approach for a younger patient with your type of scenario is I would ask you to consider taking a DHT blocker, dihydrotestosterone blocker, such as finasteride. Finasteride blocks an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. It’s almost by definition that younger people with early onset hair loss are more DHT-sensitive than their contemporaries. Other variables probably play a role, but this is one variable you can do something about, so I suggest you consider taking a DHT blocker. 
Our treatment Hair Regeneration is a combination of Acellular matrix, which is used for wound healing, combined with PRP (platelet-rich plasma). It evolved out of hair transplant when we were using it for hair grafts and the donor area to heal better. We realized thinning hair also became thicker. It took several years to develop systems based on customization for individual patient categories. The variables I take into account include gender, age of onset, rate of progression, and degree of hair loss in formulating the concentrations and method of delivery, so we developed a system. 
What I try to explain to younger patients is your hair loss progression is more aggressive than somebody whose onset is later. Someone who’s losing hair in their mid to later 30s is slowly progressing so they have moderate hair loss by the time they hit their mid 40s. That’s a very different clinical scenario than a younger patient with aggressive hair loss. 
We have to think of this strategy of how we prolong the growth cycle of the hair for as long as possible, and maximize coverage. That’s why we commonly combine a DHT blocker with Hair Regeneration. Although a DHT blocker may slow down progression and may allow for some growth of hair, it does not stimulate hair growth, and which we’ve been able to make distinctions where someone who has been on finasteride. When we add the Hair Regeneration treatment customized for the individual, we’re able to see the reactivation of hair that hasn’t been growing, and the prolongation of the growth cycles that otherwise would’ve been shortened and eventually lost, but the question is for how long. For certain categories of patients, we’ve been able to establish more than 5 years of longevity. With very specific younger people, it’s a little harder, so we have to try to do this in 2-3 years jumps to maximize the longevity of the hair growth cycles. Again, it is about individualization. 
One thing that will potentially have more impact than what you’re doing alone would be a DHT blocker. Understand that hair loss is progressive,depending on your genetics and family history, but I think it’s worth investigating a DHT blocker and the technology behind Hair Regeneration to see if these things may be applicable in your situation. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your question.

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

Unfortunately in the year 2017, permanent regrowth does not exist. You might experience an improvement or simply an overall slowing down of your hair loss. Complete regrowth is not typical.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

minoxidil and low level laser light therapy are modalities used for the treatment of hair loss. I personally don't believe that the laser offers significant benefit but minoxidil has value

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