Laser combs are compact, hand-held versions of large laser therapy machines used by hair clinics around the world. Unfortunately, no one really knows how they work or the long term side effects. The FDA recently approved laser combs to treat hair loss, so what was at first a fad may now be burgeoning into a major sales market.



Laser combs cost over $600 and must be used for fifteen minutes three times a week. But in most cases, they stimulate little more than a peach fuzz sort of hair growth, and this new hair often falls out eventually. They may be ineffective on parts of the head that are already bald.

In other words, laser combs may end up on the list of numerous pills, potions, gimmicks and gadgets that have consumed billions of consumer dollars without yielding permanent, satisfactory results.

One solution that has earned permanent exclusion from that dubious club is hair replacement surgery. In the right professional hands, hair transplantation succeeds in growing permanent natural hair in thinning or balding areas anywhere on the scalp.

Hair replacement surgery is also referred to as micro/mini grafts or follicular unit transplantation. The procedure harvests hair follicles from the back or sides of the head where the DNA is not affected by pattern baldness.

These follicles are then inserted through tiny incisions made in balding areas of the scalp. The process is not invasive or painful. It requires only a local anesthetic and most patients return to normal activities the next day.

The key to successful hair grafting is to choose the right physician. In the past (and even today when dated techniques are used), hair grafting resulted in scarring, freakish hairlines, and conspicuous plugs called "doll-head hair": tiny unnatural tufts growing out of dozens of spots on the scalp.

Choosing a hair transplant doctor is not like buying a car that you can trade in if you don't like it. You will "display" the outcome of his work for the rest of your life. Take the time to scrutinize potential doctors very carefully. There are several criteria you should consider in choosing the right one:

1. Look for a doctor who is both a scientist and an artist. A true artist will be able to design a beautiful, natural looking hairline.

2. You may wish to observe an actual procedure. The right doctor will have no problem with this.

3. The most important thing is to choose a well seasoned doctor with many years experience who has thousands of happy patients, many of whom will be glad to speak with you and even meet with you to show you their hair.

4. Look for a doctor with over 10 years' experience who performs hair transplant surgeries every day.

5. Beware of hair transplant companies that maintain a large network of clinics. These can serve primarily as sales offices which import doctors as needed, and may only be able to claim to have performed thousands of procedures if they tally up the work of all their doctors collectively. The general quality of their work will be a far cry from that of an individual doctor who has personally done thousands of cases. Only he will be able to understand the nuances and delicacies of the many different aspects of hair replacement.

In conclusion, laser combs are at best a temporary and limited solution to hair loss. The long-term side effects are not yet known and have not been studied. The only proven way to grow lasting, natural hair is to have your own hair transplanted. The right professional will do that for you.