ReviewLasers in surgery and medicine2014
Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) for treatment of hair loss.
Review in Lasers in surgery and medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 87 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
87 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 279 citations in OpenAlex.
- Non-invasive Autonomic Neuromodulation Is Opening New Landscapes for Cardiovascular Diseases.Frontiers in physiology · 2020Pooled it
- Interventions for female pattern hair loss.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Thulium laser-assisted delivery of growth factors for treating androgenetic alopecia - a randomized, controlled, clinical study.Lasers in medical science · 2026Trial
- Deep Learning-Based OCT Segmentation for Stiffness Quantification in Evaluating Low-Level Laser Therapy for Wound Healing.Journal of biophotonics · 2026Trial
- Low-level laser therapy for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in Thai men and women: a 24-week, randomized, double-blind, sham device-controlled trial.Lasers in medical science · 2019Trial
- The growth of human scalp hair in females using visible red light laser and LED sources.Lasers in surgery and medicine · 2014Trial
- Hair growth enhancement via mitochondrial activation by Mito-activator complex.International journal of cosmetic science · 2026Article
- Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of a Wearable Electrotrichogenic Device in Men with Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Article
- Overview of Short Peptides for Hair Loss.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid Enhances Hair Growth-Related Signaling in Human Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells via Activation of the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Research and application of digital technology in the diagnosis and treatment of androgenetic alopecia.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
- Biomedical Technologies for Androgenic Alopecia Treatment: Advance, Mechanism and Future Direction.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
- Engineered Exosomes Co-Delivering EGF and FGF Ameliorate Androgenetic Alopecia in a Mouse Model.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026Article
- Complications in follicular unit excision hair transplantation: current evidence and practical approaches.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Synergetic effect of lauric acid and tea tree oil-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles and photobiomodulation in diabetic wound healing.Lasers in medical science · 2025Article
- Androgenetic alopecia.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025Review
- The Use of Light-Based Therapies in the Treatment of Alopecia.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Review
- Assessment of photobiomodulation effect on osteoblast-like MG-63 cell biological behavior: analyzing proliferation and migration in the absence or presence of nicotine.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Pathophysiological mechanisms of hair follicle regeneration and potential therapeutic strategies.Stem cell research & therapy · 2025Review
- Review
27 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveAlopecia is a common disorder affecting more than half of the population worldwide. Androgenetic alopecia, the most common type, affects 50% of males over the age of 40 and 75% of females over 65. Only two drugs have been approved so far (minoxidil and finasteride) and hair transplant is the other treatment alternative. This review surveys the evidence for low-level laser therapy (LLLT) applied to the scalp as a treatment for hair loss and discusses possible mechanisms of actions. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Searches of PubMed and Google Scholar were carried out using keywords alopecia, hair loss, LLLT, photobiomodulation.
resultsStudies have shown that LLLT stimulated hair growth in mice subjected to chemotherapy-induced alopecia and also in alopecia areata. Controlled clinical trials demonstrated that LLLT stimulated hair growth in both men and women. Among various mechanisms, the main mechanism is hypothesized to be stimulation of epidermal stem cells in the hair follicle bulge and shifting the follicles into anagen phase.
conclusionLLLT for hair growth in both men and women appears to be both safe and effective. The optimum wavelength, coherence and dosimetric parameters remain to be determined.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.