Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Beauty Buzz: Hair Growth Laser Comb?

We've moved!! Check out the all new Beauty Brains website.


Wow, check out this cool Laser Comb that makes your hair healthier!

At least that's what the good people over at HairMax are saying.

According to their website, the HairMax LaserComb harness the power of "Photo-Biostimulation" aka Low Light Laser Therapy, aka LLLT, to improve the appearance of your hair over time. (And it's a STEAL at only $545 over at Drugstore.com!)

"Wow," you're thinking.

"Sounds too good to be true," you say softly to yourself.

You're probably right.

The Brains got suspicious when they read that the Lasercomb works because "Light is energy. Living cells thrive in light and your hair is no different. "

Umm, actually hair IS different. It's dead! That part about hair cells thriving in light? That's crap. If anything, certain frequencies of light are damaging to hair!

So right off the bat, the Hair Max staff have lost some credibility for not understanding basic hair biology. We don't know of any scientific mechanism that would explain how the application of light could improve the condition of hair.

But wait, it gets better... If you read the website carefully you won't see any direct claims about promoting hair growth or preventing hair loss. BUT - if you browse around, you WILL see 16 pictures that show much hair growth their customers had "before and after" using the LaserComb. So they're certainly IMPLYING hair growth claims!

Now, as I'm sure you're wondering: "Doesn't the FDA monitor hair growth claims? What do they have to say about this?"

Good question! Here's a quote from the FDA's website:

"Biostimulation lasers, also called low level laser therapy (LLLT), cold
lasers, soft lasers, or laser acupuncture devices, were cleared for
marketing by FDA through the Premarket Notification/510(k) process as
adjunctive devices for the temporary relief of pain."

So what does the FDA say about the use of LLLT for hair treatment or growth? Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

Sooo, we dont' know about you, but we'd certainly want some kind of evidence this thing works before shelling out 500 bucks! The Brains say: Let the buyer beware!

If anyone has tried this thing, let us know!