How Does Red Light Therapy Work for Hair Growth?
We may often face hair loss problem.
Hair loss and thinning hair are common problems that affect both men and women. While some degree of hair shedding is normal, excessive hair loss can affect self-confidence and emotional wellbeing. If you’ve noticed your hair thinning or bald patches developing, you may be eager to try anything to restore your hair. The good news is that LED light therapy is one of the newest treatments for stimulating hair growth. But does it really work? Let’s take a closer look at how LED light therapy works and why it’s so beneficial for hair growth.
The Science of Hair Loss
Before diving into LED light therapy, let’s review what causes hair loss in the first place. This will help us understand how light energy can counteract the mechanisms of hair fall and thinning.
Hair grows from follicles underneath the scalp surface. Each follicle repeatedly cycles through growth (anagen), transitional (catagen), and resting (telogen) phases.
Here's a simplified breakdown of the hair cycle:
Anagen – Active growth phase when follicles produce new hair shafts. This lasts 2-7 years.
Catagen – Transitional phase when follicles shrink and detach from shafts. Lasts 2-3 weeks.
Telogen – Resting phase when old shafts shed as new ones emerge. Lasts 2-4 months.
Normally, about 80-90% of hair follicles are in the anagen phase while just 10-20% are in telogen. But excess shedding happens when a higher than normal percentage of follicles prematurely enter telogen.
What triggers this shift? The main drivers of premature hair loss include:
Androgenetic alopecia – Pattern baldness caused by genetics and androgens like testosterone. This gradually shrinks follicles, shortening growth phases.
Stress – Prolonged or severe stress raises cortisol levels, prematurely interrupting growth cycles.
Poor nutrition – Deficiencies in iron, zinc, protein, vitamin D, and other nutrients impair follicle function.
Illness – Thyroid disorders, anemia, autoimmune disease can trigger excessive shedding.
Medications – Drugs like blood thinners, antidepressants, cholesterol meds may thin hair as a side effect.
Aging – As we get older, growth cycles naturally shorten and more follicles remain dormant.
Hormonal changes – Shifts during/after pregnancy, menopause, or andropause can disrupt growth.
Now that we understand why people lose hair, let’s look at how LED light therapy aims to help regrow hair.
LED light therapy can be effective for both men and women experiencing:
Androgenic alopecia (male and female pattern baldness)
Alopecia areata (autoimmune hair loss disease)
Telogen effluvium (temporary hair shedding)
Hair loss from malnutrition or stress
Slow hair growth
Thin, weak hair
It can be used alone or combined with other treatments like minoxidil, hair transplants, PRP, microneedling, nutritional supplements, etc. LED therapy is not as beneficial for complete baldness or long-term hair loss conditions. It works best for boosting hair density early on while follicles can still be revived.
How LED Light Therapy for hair growth works?
LED therapy doesn’t just help regrow lost hair. It may also help keep existing hair healthy and prevent future thinning. But how does it works? There are several ways that LED light therapy is thought to stimulate hair growth:
Blood Circulation
Blood flow is crucial for hair follicle health. The follicles rely on circulating blood to receive oxygen and nutrients.
Red and near-infrared LED light penetrates the skin and interacts with cells. This stimulates increased blood flow to the treatment area. Improving blood circulation enables better delivery of nutrients to hair follicles.
Assists Cell Metabolism
LED light also enhances cellular metabolism. The light interacts with cytochrome c oxidase, a photoacceptor present in all cell mitochondria.
This extra energy boost revs up the metabolism within hair follicle cells. Their increased productivity supports the hair growth cycle.
Reduces Inflammation
Chronic inflammation can interrupt the hair growth cycle and cause shedding. LED light therapy helps decrease inflammation. This reduces damage to follicles and creates an environment conducive to growth.
Provides Gentle Photobiomodulation
LED light delivers photons into the skin and hair follicles. This photobiomodulation gently stimulates cellular activity. Hair follicles may function better and spend more time in the growing phase.
In summary, LED light improves blood flow, cellular metabolism, and general scalp health around the follicles. This comprehensive support equips follicles for optimal hair production.
There have been numerous studies investigating LED lights for growing hair. Hope the red light therapy products can help more people to get more healthy!