Trial reportMedicine2020
Low-level light therapy using a helmet-type device for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: A 16-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, sham device-controlled trial.
Trial report in Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Full-Spectrum phototherapy in hair loss management: a systematic review of wavelength-dependent mechanisms, clinical efficacy, and future directions.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Photo-downregulation of SIRT4 mitigates aging in mice by enhancing H3K9ac via fatty acid metabolism.eLife · 2026Article
- Promises and Pitfalls of Regenerative Therapies for Androgenetic Alopecia: Platelet-Rich Plasma, Photobiomodulation, Stem Cells, and Exosomes.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Mechanisms and clinical progress of adipose-derived stem cells and their derivatives in the treatment of hair loss.Stem cell research & therapy · 2025Review
- Lasers for treatment of androgenetic alopecia: an in-depth analysis.Lasers in medical science · 2025Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Laser Therapy and Phototherapy in Cicatricial and NonCicatricial Alopecia: A Systematic Review Study.Health science reports · 2024Review
- A study of the biological effects of low-level light.Lasers in medical science · 2024Review
- Effect of Skin Type on Efficacy of Laser Treatment for Androgenetic Alopecia: A Review of the Literature.Skin appendage disorders · 2023Review
- Bioelectronic devices for light-based diagnostics and therapies.Biophysics reviews · 2023Review
- The Use of a Light-Emitting Diode Device for Neck Rejuvenation and Its Safety on Thyroid Glands.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAndrogenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss in both sexes. In recent studies, low-level light therapy (LLLT) has been established as an effective treatment for alopecia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of LLLT using a new helmet-type device for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.
methodA randomized, sham device-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was conducted at 2 institutions. Sixty participants diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia aged from 19 to 65 years were recruited. LLLT was performed through a helmet-type device that emitted light with a mean output power of 2.36 mW/cm at a wavelength of 655 nm. Participants were divided into 2 groups, which respectively used the experimental device and a sham device. After tattooing at the central point of the vertex, phototrichograms at that point were obtained at 0, 8, and 16 weeks. The primary endpoint of the study was the difference in the rate of change of hair density between the test group and the control group.
resultsComparing the results at baseline and week 16, the experimental group showed an increase in hair density of 41.90 hairs/cm and an increase in hair thickness of 7.50 μm, whereas the control group showed an increase of 0.72 hairs/cm and a decrease of 15.03 μm, respectively (P < .001). No adverse events or side effects occurred.
conclusionLLLT showed a significant effect on increasing hair density in patients with androgenetic alopecia. LLLT could be a safe and effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia in both sexes.
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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.