Humans have been struggling with hair loss since the beginning of recorded history. However, laser hair growth remedies are a fairly recent invention in the grand scheme of things. Over the past 5,000 years, humans have innovated all kinds of cosmetic treatments to give the illusion of more hair. They have developed countless herbal formulations, prosthetics, supplements, pills, oils, lotions, shampoos, and medications.
Technology increasingly addresses cosmetic and beauty dilemmas. And the products come right along with that. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) devices stand out as some of the most promising treatments for achieving hair restoration, provided that the product is high quality. In this article, let’s explore the history of laser hair growth remedies. Additionally, we’ll see how humans addressed (or attempted to address) hair loss before this genius therapy was discovered.
The History of Laser Hair Growth Remedies
When one reflects on the history of hair growth remedies, the thing that stands out is that despite real advances in genuinely effective treatments, there is still an overabundance of misinformation and sham products that sell with astonishing frequency. The internet is full of all kinds of products that make wild claims. They offer no scientific data or tests to back them up. And some are just plain ripoff products or counterfeits.
In his 1922 book, Hair Culture, health advocate Bernarr MacFadden wrote: “There is more quackery rampant in connection with hair and scalp care. Both by the medical profession and by drug and lotion manufacturers than there is in any other specialty ever devised for the exploitation of ailing humans.”
Scams are a big problem. And they have been for a long time. Hair loss is such an emotionally charged issue for people, and we understand why. Consequently, charlatans are abundant. And they’re willing to exploit those emotions have existed since the beginning of time. Today is no different. As a result, you have to be on guard. There are lots of bogus claims and fake cures out on the market. And there always will be.
Before Laser Hair Growth Remedies Existed
Wigs and hairpieces have been popular among humans dating all the way back to 300 BC. They were popular among the upper classes of the ancient Assyrians, Sumerians, Cretans, Carthaginians, Persians, and Greeks. There are records of prescriptions of hair loss treatments from healers from the Fertile Crescent.
The Ebers Papyrus discovered in Luxor Egypt is thought to be the oldest complete medical text ever found. It is devoted to the treatment of skin diseases and cosmetic conditions such as hair loss. The oldest known prescription for treating baldness was a mixture of iron oxide, red lead, onion, alabaster, honey, and fat from a variety of animals including snakes, crocodiles, hippopotamuses, and lions. This mixture was swallowed followed by reciting a magical invocation to the Sun God Ra.
During this time, wigs were very popular among Egyptian royalty. Additionally, archaeologists have discovered many well-preserved hairpieces during excavations of tombs and burial chambers. Many of these wigs are very elaborately constructed with linen fibers as well as human hair. Others were made of metal, and more similar to a helmet. Both male and female members of the royal family wore fake beards to signify power.
The Father of Modern Medicine
By 420 BC in Ancient Greece, Hippocrates worked to discover solutions for his own progressive hair loss. One of his medical formulas was a mixture of opium, horseradish, pigeon droppings, beetroot, and various spices! This was applied to the head. Shocking as this may seem, the formula did not work. He is the first to describe effective surgical solutions to hair loss. However, it’s doubtful this approach would be considered acceptable by many today.
Hippocrates was the first to observe in his collection of astute observations known as the “Aphorisms of Hippocrates” he noted that eunuchs of the Persian Army never experienced hair loss, while men that had not been castrated lost their hair on account of being too “hot-blooded”.
Today we know that castration that was performed before or shortly after puberty would reduce the levels of testosterone and DHT to such a degree that genetic hair loss would be prevented. However, Hippocrates never found a cure for his baldness. He continued to lose his own hair until he was completely bald. To this day, extreme cases of hair loss are known as “Hippocratic baldness” after him.
Hiding Baldness Throughout History
In ancient Rome, hair was considered a status symbol that denoted power and virility. A fun little-known fact about Julius Cesear is that he is the inventor of the classic “comb-over” hairstyling technique. In order to disguise his receding hairline, he began growing his hair long in the back. Then, he combed it forward to cover his bald spot. This was before the invention of hair gel though, so this technique proved to be unsuccessful for Cesear. This is why he adopted his iconic laurel wreath look in order to disguise his hair loss.
The 1600s were an era of power wigs. King Louis XIII of France began wearing wigs to disguise his thinning hair. Unsurprisingly, members of his court quickly followed suit. As each decade passed, the wigs got bigger and more opulent. As a result, the giant powdered wigs became the height of fashion in the French courts. England’s King Charles the II was briefly exiled at Versailles before being restored to his throne, and during his time in France, he was exposed to their love of wigs. The English had to compete with the French trying to outdo them by creating even more elaborate powder wigs.
Upper-class American colonists picked up the wig fashion, and by the late 18th century wearing false hair became a way to signify elevated class. However the Revolutions in the American Colonies and the subsequent French Revolution caused the fashions that denoted a look of royalty or elevated class distinction to fall out of favor, and for a while, wigs fell out of favor.
Snake Oil – Fake Products, Shams, Scams, and Missteps
The 1800s were the heyday of the “snake oil” salesmen. There were numerous types of bottled products. “Mrs. Allen’s World Hair Restorer,” “Ayers Hair Vigour,” “East India Oil Hair Restoration,” “Skookum Root Hair Growth,” “Westphall Auxiliator,” “Imperial Hair Regenerator” and the ever-popular “Barry’s Tricopherous” were sold to hopeful consumers. And they were all worthless garbage.
Barry’s Tricopherous, founded in 1801, sold as late as the 1970s. The label states that it guaranteed to “restore hair to bald heads and make it grow thick, long, and soft,” but what do you get? Only alcohol, water, and coloring. Snake oil indeed. However, that wasn’t the end of this sham product. It still exists TO THIS DAY! In fact, you can buy it on Amazon right now! And according to the product description, “Barry’s Tricopherous is the ideal hairdressing for men, women, and children.” They go on to say that the use of this product will help your hair “stay orderly and look perfectly groomed throughout the day’s activities.” Apparently, it also “imparts luster and brilliance to the hair, but keeps it soft.” Talk about changing their tune. EYE ROLL!
The Victorian era in England brought us such home remedies as applying cold India tea before vigorously rubbing the affected area with fresh lemon juice. Around this time is when the popular myth that chronic hat-wearing was responsible for hair loss began. Anti hat advocates urged men to let their hair follicles breathe. For them to give their scalps regular “sun baths” and “air baths”. The industrial age brought new inventions to the marketplace, including this curious invention from the Evans Vacuum Cap Company, a suction device that: “…exercises the scalp and helps to circulate stagnant blood, feeding the shrunken hair roots, and causing the hair to grow…” Yikes.
The Last 100 Years
By the 1920s humans were experimenting with whether electricity could stimulate hair growth. After all, this was an exciting new technology. Why not have some fun with it, right? people were lighting elephants on fire with electricity. Why not see what it could do for your head… Exotic gas-filled clear glass combs with names like “Master Violet Ray” and “Super Marvel” glowed with purple light as they generated an electric charge. These electrified combs were meant to be raked across the scalp in order to stimulate hair growth. There was no proof that these devices were effective. However, some of these devices continued to be sold up until the 1950s.
In 1925 Allied Merke Institute in New York City began selling the Thermocap Treatment device, which claimed to stimulate circulation, cleanse clogged-up pores, and nourish dormant hair bulbs with heat and blue light from a special actinic quartz ray bulb. In Cincinnati, the Crosley Radio Corporation offered an electric scalp vacuum device that claimed to be a “Therapeutic Method for Hair Growth” and called it the X-ER-VAC.
The first hair transplant surgery is attributed to Japanese dermatologist Doctor Shoji Okuda. In 1939 he published his method of using hair transplant grafts to replace hair lost from the scalp, eyebrows, and mustaches. Doctor Okuda removed hair follicles from the back of his patient’s heads and transplanted the grafts into new locations to create a look of fuller hair. Unfortunately, this work was published around the start of the Second World War. As a result, it went largely unnoticed at first. However, it would not be long before it caught the attention of the medical community.
LLLT Laser Hair Growth Remedies Discovered
The real history of laser hair growth remedies begins mid-twentieth century. Interestingly, the discovery of laser hair growth remedies was accidental. A complete fluke. Similar to the way Finasteride was first approved to treat enlarged prostates, the discovery of this hair growth remedy came later on. As low-level laser therapy continues to be developed and studied, it offers us hope for long-term solutions for hair loss. Solutions that are gentle, low maintenance, pain-free, and have minimal side effects.
The history of LLLT laser hair growth remedies begins in Budapest Hungary in 1967. Endre Mester at Semmelweis University was conducting a test to see if laser radiation would cause cancer in mice. He shaved their dorsal hairs and divided them into two groups. He gave one group treatments with a low-powered ruby laser. These mice did not get cancer. He was surprised to discover that the hair in the group of mice treated with the laser grew back faster than it did in the untreated group. This was the first demonstration of laser biostimulation. And it would change the industry’s direction in the years to come.
LLLT Laser Hair Growth in Moder Times
Today, low-level laser (or light) therapy, also known as cold laser, soft laser, biostimulation, or photobiomodulation is practiced as a part of physical therapy regimens in many parts of the world. And the United States is no exception. Many more studies have taken place since Endre Mester’s 1967 discovery of LLLT’s hair growth stimulation effect.
Everything from animal models to clinical trials cumulatively support the benefits of LLLT for hair growth. This is now an established and effective treatment for hair loss. LLLT appears to stimulate anagen re-entry of telogen hair follicles and prolong the duration of the anagen phase. The modulation of the hair cycle reveals an increase in hair density and diameter as well as decreased hair shedding. As a result, we see clinical improvement in hair growth.
The first LLLT device was cleared safe for use in the treatment of hair loss by the US FDA in 2007 for men. Then, in 2011 for women. It was revolutionary. But with successes come failures. Soon the market flooded with devices promising increased hair growth. Combos, brushes, headbands, caps, hoods, and helmets. All boosting LLLT therapy and some using a combination of LED lights emerged. Very few of these devices show effectiveness in a well-designed and randomized study. Remember, there is no evidence that supports that LED lights have any impact on hair growth.
Real LLLT Laser Hair Growth Remedies from LaserCap Me
Laser Cap Me is proud to offer the Capillus RX 312 laser cap. This physician-recommended, FDA-cleared treatment can regrow thinning hair. It’s also an effective preventative treatment. That’s right! It can stop the progression of hair loss in its tracks. The CapillusRX 312 has 312 prescription-strength laser diodes. Additionally, Capillus offers more laser diodes than any other lasercap product available in the world today. The lasers stimulate circulation to the scalp. As a result, you energize and renew the growth of cells within the hair follicle. This supports the growth of thicker, healthier hair.
This device only requires 6 minutes a day of use and is completely pain-free. Its hypoallergenic base is comfortable and flexible enough to form to the shape of your head. When it comes to the history of laser hair growth remedies, the CapillusRX 312 is top-tier technology. If you have been struggling with thinning hair and hair loss, this is a gentle, virtually risk-free treatment to consider.
Call Laser Cap Me for Your Capillus RX 312 Lasercap!
Why wait? Contact Laser Cap Me today to ask about the Capillus RX 312 laser cap.
What have you got to lose except more hair? Contact us today and stop your hair loss problem! You can reach us at (213) 403-0455, or send us an email. You can also find out further details by visiting our clinic’s site Best Hair Transplant.
