Shoot Lasers at Your Scalp and Regrow Hair
Crazy enough to work!
I recently took a six month experiment to regrow my hair (I’m going bald boo hoo) and wanted to share the results. They were positive!
What did I try you ask? Well, definitely the aforementioned lasers, but also just a good old spray.
The LASERS
There’s a medically sanctioned mechanism to stimulate hair growth that relies on shooting lasers at your scalp for a short period of time. It’s called LLLT (Low-Level Laser Therapy) and is one of two medically sanctioned ways to regrow your hair (I’ll get to the other way). I first learned about it in David Sinclair’s lifespan podcast, which I highly recommend.
The greatest thing about this therapy is that it is non-invasive and has been shown to be effective for women as well as for men.
I decided to go all in and bought a $650 (now it’s $700? Darn inflation!) laser cap, the illumiflow 272 laser cap. You wear it every other day for 30 minutes; it beeps loudly and makes your head warm, but it’s super simple to use.
There are other options for LLLT devices but some of them don’t even use the lasers (boo) and other ones you have to hold up. I wanted something I could wear that was stupid easy to use, and indeed it was. There are also more expensive options but I didn’t try them.
The Spray
I found a site (forhims.com) where you send pictures of your balding head and they prescribe a hair regrowth spray. It’s a mix of the two active ingredients in most other hair regrowth products, finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine).
The problem for women is that finasteride is not approved to treat hair loss for females, though minoxidil is.
This spray ends up being $50 a month, which I think is reasonable (though I’m sure I can find a better bargain), a little more than Rogaine would cost but also with another active ingredient. I spray my head every day with it and make sure not to get it wet for ~4 hours. I also wash my hands/wipe off the excess since it can have negative effects if you or others ingest it.
The Results
I don’t have much to say other than it worked! I have more hair, and when I go to get it blended it’s less of an impossible task for the barber 😆. I’ve been doing the treatment for six months, which I think is about how long it takes for things to take most of their full effect.
Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions please leave comments and I can try to answer.
I think either trying one or both approaches (they can both be used concurrently) should get you some hair back if you’re in the same boat as me!
