Treatments and supplements · Low-level laser/LED therapy for hair

Do those laser combs and helmets really regrow hair?

What we can tell you today: how thoroughly this has been studied.

Well studied

8 studies, including 2 that bring together the results of several trials in people.

5 Repeated evidence 2 studies

4 Large controlled trial 1 study

3 Small study in people 5 studies

This says how thoroughly something has been studied — not whether it works for you. What each study actually found is in the study itself, and in the plain-language write-ups we are adding.

Appears under: Hair and nails · Sleep, energy and the brain · Skin aging

The studies

5 Repeated evidence Low-Level Laser and LED Therapy in Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
2025 · Dermatologic surgery : official publication for America · 3,098 participants
5 Repeated evidence A systematic review on whole-body photobiomodulation for exercise performance and recovery.
2025 · Lasers in medical science
4 Large controlled trial Photobiomodulation Reduces Periocular Wrinkle Volume by 30%: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
2023 · Photobiomodulation, photomedicine, and laser surgery · 137 participants
3 Small study in people Comparative efficacy of 2% minoxidil alone against combination of 2% minoxidil and low-level laser therapy in female pattern hair loss-A randomized controlled trial in Chinese females.
2024 · Photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapy
3 Small study in people Photobiomodulation therapy and 5% minoxidil in female pattern hair loss: a case series focusing on hair growth phases over a shorter timeframe.
2025 · Lasers in medical science
3 Small study in people Clinical Trial Comparing Three Wavelengths in Photobiomodulation Therapy for Hair Loss.
2025 · Photobiomodulation, photomedicine, and laser surgery · 68 participants
3 Small study in people Photobiostimulation Therapy (PBST) and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF) in Hair Loss Treatment: Multicentric, Retrospective, Case-Control Study.
2025 · Aesthetic plastic surgery · 20 participants
3 Small study in people Minoxidil stimulates cutaneous blood flow in human balding scalps: pharmacodynamics measured by laser Doppler velocimetry and photopulse plethysmography.
1985 · The Journal of investigative dermatology