Interview with Dr. Tamim Hamid, Theradome Inventor

I have discussed low level laser therapy (LLLT) many times in the past on this blog. Today there are a select few laser products that are on the market that have been cleared or approved by the FDA for use on the scalp to regrow hair. Of course these approvals and clearances do not mean that the product has gone through rigorous clinical trials. For the most part, you can only assume that the approval ensures safety rather than efficacy.

Hair regrowth from lasers is still a controversial subject, and from what I have read in various studies, the best results will lead to maintenance and, if you are lucky, minor regrowth. You will not get anywhere near your teenage hairline back from using lasers. Totally bald areas of the scalp will not sprout hair once again after light phototherapy.

The oldest of these FDA cleared lasers is the HairMax LaserComb, while the most recent of these is the Theradome Laser Helmet. Also cleared are the funky looking iGrow Laser Helmet; the iRestore Hair Growth System; and the Capillus Laser Therapy Cap. Note that the FDA clearance statement for each of these products uses different terminology and is not the same thing.

Theradome CEO Interview on Reddit

Several days ago, the inventor of the Theradome (ex-NASA scientist Dr. Tamim Hamid) answered a number of questions about the product on Reddit.

Some of the interesting things that I learnt from those responses include:

  • The company is primarily targeting females.
  • A wavelength of 660-680nm is needed for the follicle to absorb the laser light.
  • The product could also work on beard hair.
  • It seems like Dr. Hamid is a big fan of anti-fungal shampoos such as Nizoral.

I suspect that the high price of these products has to decline significantly in the coming years, and hopefully we will have a few more FDA cleared products on the market in the next several years.

On internet hair loss forums, you can find numerous posts from people who have been making their own cheap at-home laser devices for hair growth. For safety reasons I cannot ever advise readers of this blog to do likewise, but I highly recommend reading some of those entertaining forum posts.

Maybe in the future I should author a blog post with links in there to my favorite hair loss forum threads regrading futuristic at-home laser device contraption construction?

FGF-5 Inhibition and Hair Growth

In January 2015, Australian company Cellmid was granted an Australian patent for the use of midkine (NEGF-2) in hair loss prevention. The company was also granted a similar patent for the UK market in July 2014. However, it seems like Cellmid is most well known for its FGF-5 inhibiting hair growth product called Advangen.

FGF-5 Inhibiton and Hair Growth

Cellmid’s Advangen line of hair loss products were developed based on old research from Japan related to fibroblast growth factor-5 (FGF-5 or FGF5) inhibition and resulting hair growth.

FGF-5 accelerates hair follicle transition from anagen (growth) phase to catagen (cessation or regression) phase. This results in more rapid progression to to telogen/resting phase. Make sure to also read my post on growth factors in PRP.

Cellmid used to have a separate website for Advangen, and it had attachments to three FGF-5 related studies. Edit: Not you can find them on évolis website. The two Japanese studies are especially interesting and well worth reading in their entirety. Update: For more recent information, see my post on Évolis.

The first of these studies is from 2007. It concludes that Sanguisorba Officinalis Root Extract (SO extract) is a reliable FGF-5 inhibitor. Consequently, Advangen has since developed a number of Sanguisorba Officinalis Root Extract containing FGF5 blocker products to combat hair loss.

The second of these studies is from 2002. It concludes that FGF5 inhibits hair growth by blocking dermal papilla cell activation.  Work focusing on dermal papilla (DP) cells and nearby dermal sheath cup (DSC) cells is today among the most import areas of hair loss research.

More recently, a 2014 study found that FGF-5 is a crucial regulator of hair length in humans. However, it seems like the study only focused on forearm and eyelash hair.  I would venture to guess that similar results would be realized on human scalp hair.

It should be noted that fibroblast growth factors 1 (FGF-1), 2 (FGF-2), 7 (FGF-7), 9 (FGF-9) and 10 (FGF-10) have all been shown to promote hair growth. In contrast to FGF-5, which discourages hair growth.