Laser Treatment From Hair Club, Or Buy A Laser Helmet, Or...?

[HalfHeadOfHair]

I've gotten PRP for hair loss for the past two years and it has had a very positive slight effect. (I have recession, which basically held in place, and some crown balding which got a little better.)

I made an appointment at Hair Club to see if they suggested a different treatment. They wanted to give me a year of monthly laser treatment. They'd also give me supplements (including saw palmetto), and a special shampoo & conditioner, and an enzyme to spray on my scalp before using minoxidil. The total cost would be about $3600.

They also said I could buy a laser helmet from them, but they indicated that I'd still "end up in the same place", i.e. the helmet would accelerate progress but after a year the total gain would be about the same.

Any opinion on laser treatment from HC?

For under $1000, I could buy my own laser helmet and use it ever other day (or whatever is recommended for that model). Any opinion on whether that would work better?

I'm really not sure what to do. $3600 is a lot of money but I would do it if it I really thought it would work.

 

[iCloud]

The cost seems outrageous, for 12 laser treatments and some shampoo and supplements...
Laser therapy only once a month will not do much for you. It should be done 3x/week.

 

[HalfHeadOfHair]

Right, I was under the impression that the monthly laser treatments were done with different types of lasers that didn't need to be used as often as the consumer grade laser helmets.

So do you recommend doing the at-home laser treatment? Any particular helmet you recommend?

And should I bother with saw palmetto and special shampoo? (I wouldn't have to buy them from HC in this case.)

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

I don't know your entire situation but no, I am not going to let you spend $4,000 just to frustrate yourself even more. The PRP is both expensive and or not ($ 650)depending on how many times but I decided not to and even some of the places offering it weren't that high on it.

Sorry guys, only vasodilators and reductase inhibitors and maybe nizoral. None of the rest is going to work in my opinion. I go around this site looking for pictures and the site I hang out on with the MtFs and extreme hormonal users is the only one that is packed with impressive picture after picture.

 

[iCloud]

If you’d want to buy a helmet: just look for one with many diodes. I can’t recommend any specific brand, I am using Hairmax myself. I do strongly believe that laser helps with scalp health an improving the quality of your hair and creating a good environment for regrowth.
But if you are on a tight budget and have to make choices, I would rather go for min, 5AR blocker and microneedling.

 

[HalfHeadOfHair]

JaneyElizabeth: I'm a newbie here, so just to make sure I understood you, you're saying that minioxidil+finasteride+ maybe nizoral shampoo are the stuff that works and you've never been convinced that anything else does much. Is that right?

iCloud: I think you're saying that the helmet does seem to help you, so you'd recommend a helmet (with a lot of diodes) plus finasteride and maybe microneedling?

This is the first I'm hearing about microneedling. Do you think it's more or less effective than the helmets?

 

[iCloud]

I’d recommend minoxidil and something hormonal (finasteride or dutasteride...) if you would not mind taking medication and are not afraid of the side effects. As to laser, I have diffuse hair loss, and for me, I feel that it helps. I have been using laser devices for years, though not consistently enough during the last couple of years.

But it is expensive to buy a helmet, so if you are on a budget, I would just go for minoxidil, finasteride/dutasteride and microneedling/dermarolling, all of which are less expensive.
Some people have had very good results with microneedling and minoxidil, there is a very long thread about microneedling here:
https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...s-from-tressless.117746/page-675#post-1911903

 

[HalfHeadOfHair]

Thanks so much iCloud. Nice to hear from a real person (not someone getting a kickback) that laser worked a bit for them.

A good helmet costs less than $1000, which I *can* afford. I'm going to talk to a doctor about finasteride first. I know a guy who had really great results with it, and if I'm going to try two different treatments, I'd like to do them sequentially instead of simultaneously so I can get any idea of which one was working.

I'd love to hear from anyone else who has actually used a laser helmet before.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Thanks so much iCloud. Nice to hear from a real person (not someone getting a kickback) that laser worked a bit for them.

A good helmet costs less than $1000, which I *can* afford. I'm going to talk to a doctor about finasteride first. I know a guy who had really great results with it, and if I'm going to try two different treatments, I'd like to do them sequentially instead of simultaneously so I can get any idea of which one was working.

I'd love to hear from anyone else who has actually used a laser helmet before.

I used the $300 comb which isn't even a comb which sucks and it did nothing. It is still in my closet and I will use most things if they work at all. Maybe the helmet works better but eh.

 

[HalfHeadOfHair]

Thanks for the reply JaneElizabeth.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

JaneyElizabeth: I'm a newbie here, so just to make sure I understood you, you're saying that minioxidil+finasteride+ maybe nizoral shampoo are the stuff that works and you've never been convinced that anything else does much. Is that right?

iCloud: I think you're saying that the helmet does seem to help you, so you'd recommend a helmet (with a lot of diodes) plus finasteride and maybe microneedling?

This is the first I'm hearing about microneedling. Do you think it's more or less effective than the helmets?

What you said above about me is true but I really recommend microneedling. I have done it since July of 2019. It's the one thing that we can do ourselves. So many people think exercise or diet will help but eh. But regular microneedling at the least provides a very healthy environment and heals scars and induces collagen.

Now estrogen for cis-males anyway, works fantastic, especially estrogel on the scalp and the founder of the thread independently grew to love that med. I have been using it off and on, mostly off because you have to buy offshore, since 2014.

 

[HalfHeadOfHair]

Excuse my ignorance, but is the idea behind microneedling to make your scalp more receptive to minoxidil?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Excuse my ignorance, but is the idea behind microneedling to make your scalp more receptive to minoxidil?

Only partially. The more important reason is called collagen induction and along with that follicles might even engage in cross-talk via micro-needling and sort of, "root each other on" in terms of signalling.

Because the pricks as injuries go fairly deep in one sense, the body rushes to "heal" but the body is "tricked" into healing either scars or fibrotic follicles that had already been "given up on" by the skin system which perhaps has a way of not expending follicular resources. But we don't know. It is more straightforward with scars because we know that process fully. The same is true for cellulite which I like but derma-rolling should work there too. What happens is that in these situations the body has "improperly" healed itself in terms of collagen roll out and the normal lattice pattern that gives skin strength is absent. That's why scars don't fit in and cellulite looks different.

 

[HalfHeadOfHair]

Ok, do you think that this caused new hairs to sprout, or did it just preserve the hair you had, or just strengthen your hair or what?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Ok, do you think that this caused new hairs to sprout, or did it just preserve the hair you had, or just strengthen your hair or what?

All of those. I had some scar tissue and it was really impressive to watch the micro-needling each time because it results in significant autophagy.

 

[Equal Rights]

Hey, I have a recession and mild diffusion everywhere. I have used an 800 $USD helmet for 6month, at least for me it had absolutely no effect. But nothing I have tried so far did anything so I might be a bad example. I would highly advise to start microneedling as it will definitely have better results. If you don't want to take 5ARIs like finasteride, try adding zix. Zix, min + microneedling, topical castor oils 1x/week, oral castor oil 3-5ml/day should be a great combo, also there is evidence that suggest that microneedling synergizes with PRP for a greater effect (google the study), once again though that combo did nothing for me either. Also go check out youtube moreplatemoredates, he mentions that laser helmets provide very minimal results, even if you buy it from a guy who specializes in making them with 1600 diodes, my helmet has 80....

 

[HalfHeadOfHair]

Thanks for the reply, Equal Rights!

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Kevin Mann is stating as I listen that laser is ineffective and that the studies related thereto are poorly constructed. The Big 3 plus micro-needling are the gold standard in terms of treatments that work for cis-males not going the hormonal route.

 

[HalfHeadOfHair]

Sorry, isn't one of the Big 3 finasteride? That's not considered hormonal?

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Yes. It is as is ketoconozol. Minoxidil is not thought of that way but it appears to have anti-androgen effects too.