Category Archives: LLLT

Revian Red Light Therapy for Hair Growth

Note that the Revian Red system is currently on sale on Amazon after coupon discount application. Regular price is $995 on their website. Average reviews for the Revian Red cap so far are 4/5.

Update: January 4, 2022 — Latest clinic trial update for central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.

Update: January 21, 2020 — Revian Red got very positive and compelling hair growth in final clinical trial results. They used the same primary and secondary endpoints as were used in past finasteride and minoxidil studies. Itching and burning of the scalp was also reduced with device use.

Update: January 8, 2020 — Revian’s new parent company Know Bio product release article. The LED laser light wavelengths are a combination of 620 nanometers and 660 nanometers. Also, Revian received a USPTO patent No. 10,525,275 on the use of proprietary color combinations of light to regenerate living tissue in the body.

Update: September 2019September 2019 press release.

Quote from Dr. Rodney Sinclair:

“It took almost 20 years to work out the ideal wavelengths of light, the best fluence or ‘power’, how long the treatments should last and how often the treatments need to be repeated.”

Revian Red Laser
Revian Red Light Therapy for Hair Growth.

It has been a long time since I wrote a post on low level laser therapy (LLLT) to treat hair loss. Although a very controversial subject, there are a number of studies that suggest LLLT can benefit hair growth. There are nowadays many low-level laser devices to treat hair loss.

Almost always, laser therapy will not bring back hair in totally bald areas of the scalp. However, LLLT can make existing hair thicker according to many findings. The latest study in support of low level laser therapy for hair growth was published in Lasers in Medical Science in August 2019.

Revian Red

In April 2019, a new laser system for hair growth called Revian Red entered the market. It is manufactured by PhotonMD (North Carolina). Revian Red is FDA cleared for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in both men and women. Note the difference between FDA approved and FDA cleared.

Revian Red with Phone App
Revian Red with Smartphone Mobile App.

One of the more interesting aspects about Revian Red is that it is a wireless cap that comes with a phone app that you can use to take photos and track results. The app also reminds you of the 10 minutes per day treatment schedule.

Groundbreaking LED Technology

Also of interest, Revian Red is based on red light emitting diode (LED) technology, which is different from existing LLLT devices. See my past post on laser therapy for hair loss and wavelength. Red light wavelength ranges from 400 nm to 700 nm.

According to company CEO and device inventor Dr. Nathan Stasko, this LED technology is known as modulated light therapy (MLT). According to Dr. Stasko, Revian Red is the first FDA cleared all LED  hair growth product with supporting laboratory data. The latter shows that LED light penetrates the skin better than laser light at an identical fluence of 1J/cm2. Additionally the LEDs are lighter weight and deliver more light with less power, enabling the product to be cordless during its use. He further adds:

“Laser diodes used in LLLT and LEDs are different light sources. Lasers are coherent light, while LEDs are incoherent light with a wide viewing angle. The knock on LEDs was that they were not high power. That is true if you are referring to Christmas tree bulb semiconductor materials. But with the advancement of LEDs (that now even power car headlights), Revian Red devices are able to attain a high output in lumens/watts.”

Clinical Trials

Revian Red underwent clinical trials in Australia that were led my the famous dermatologist Rodney Sinclair. According to Revian’s own site, clinical trial results have been favorable and there are no significant side effects. However, the results are not as yet officially published, even though the trials were completed in May 2019.

Before Revian: Other Laser Devices

I have covered a number of other low level laser therapy devices on this blog in the past. These include combs, helmets and caps. You should check the reviews and ratings of all of the below before making a decision on which device to purchase.

The oldest of these FDA cleared lasers is the HairMax LaserComb, while the more 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.

HairMax LaserComb 9 vs LaserComb 12

When it comes to the best laser hair growth devices, the HairMax LaserComb is the oldest well known product on the market. I briefly covered the company a few years ago when its president Leonard Stillman commented on this blog. However, I did not discuss its hair loss treatment products at the time.

HairMax LaserComb

HairMax LaserComb
HairMax LaserComb.

The LaserComb’s inventor and CEO is David Michaels. The first LaserComb device obtained US FDA 501(k) clearance to market for use in balding male androgenetic alopecia sufferers in 2007. Approval for female pattern hair loss patients came in 2011.

A study in 2009 concluded that:

“HairMax LaserComb is an effective, well tolerated and safe laser phototherapy device for the treatment of AGA in males.”

Another study from 2014 found “a statistically significant difference in the increase in terminal hair density” between lasercomb-treated versus sham-treated subjects.

HairMax (part of Lexington International) currently has two laser comb models on the market. The Ultima 9 Classic LaserComb and the Ultima 12 LaserComb. The older cheaper device seems to have slightly better online customer reviews for hair regrowth. Both products come with money-back guarantees and warranties.

A directly competing product is the NutraStim Laser Hair Comb. Other more expensive laser products for hair growth include Theradome and Revian Red.

Dateline covered the LaserComb quite favorably in 2011, with before and after photos and patient feedback included. I even mentioned that story in a post in 2014. Thereafter, a whole bunch of new companies have come out with FDA-cleared low-level laser devices to grow hair. None are laser comb or brush type products that entail combing one’s hair daily or several times a week.

Safety and Side Effects

In 2012, Lexington released the results of its sponsored clinical study on the efficacy of the LaserComb 7 beam model. Laser combs are safe and well tolerated phototherapy devices used to treat androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness). I have never heard of anyone complaining about major side effects upon using these products to promote hair growth. However, lasers and light can be dangerous to the eyes, so do not do this type of thing.

Note that almost no-one claims that lasers will regrow hair follicles on totally bald regions of the scalp. At best, they can make existing thinning hair stronger via photo-biostimulation and light energy. And possibly regrow recently miniaturized hair follicles.

Some studies suggest that laser light energy stimulation of the mitochondria and cells can also promote new hair growth. At least in modest quantities. However, some of these same studies are sponsored by laser device manufacturers. Hopefully this does not bias results, but one needs to be careful when analyzing findings in support of LLLT.

HairMax Ultima 9 Classic LaserComb

HairMax Ultima 9 Classic LaserComb.
HairMax Ultima 9 Classic LaserComb.

Recently, I saw the HairMax Lasercomb 9 for sale at Costco for $199 (with bonus shampoo and conditioner bottles). Of the numerous well known brand name low-level laser therapy devices on the market, this is by far the best price. You can purchase lesser known unproven brands at lower prices. Some people even try to made their own laser combs at home.

Update: 2021 — On Amazon, the price of the Ultima 9 is currently $199, with a bonus 15 percent off coupon available as an add-on. The HairMax Ultima 9 Classic LaserComb comes with the following features and properties:

  • FDA Clearance.
  • 9 Medical grade lasers (but no LEDs).
  • Cordless with rechargeable battery.
  • Power cord also available.
  • 11 minute treatment time.

On Macy’s site, the price of this product is currently $199. Make sure to also see this official Lexington video on how to use the HairMax Ultima 9 Classic LaserComb.

Laser Comb Reviews and Ratings

Amazon has 611 customer reviews, with a respectable average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars. On Costco’s site, customers in the past gave the HairMax Ultima 9 LaserComb an average review of 3.8/5, but it is no longer on sale. Walmart currently has a refurbished Hairmax Prima 9 Classic LaserComb for sale at just $145. On the manufacturer’s own site, 204 customers have rated the product at 4.3/5 as of today. Best Buy has 4 reviews averaging 4.5/5.

I am honestly quite surprised at these HairMax LaserComb reviews. An average of 4.2/5 across the diverse list of vendors and retailers that I listed above is quite impressive for a laser product. In online hair loss forum reports, a large number of people seem to say that they did not benefit from laser treatment for hair growth.

HairMax Ultima 12 LaserComb

HairMax Ultima 12 LaserComb.
HairMax Ultima 12 Laser Comb.

HairMax’s newest LaserComb model is the Ultima 12. On Amazon, it has a rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 97 customers. Current offer comes with a 15% off coupon. An older now inactive page on Amazon had an average rating of 4/5 across 25 reviews in 2019. The price of the Ultima 12 LaserComb is around $395 across various sites.

Average rating on Walmart’s website is a much better 4.4/5, based on 34 customer reviews. Almost the same numbers can be seen on HairMax’s Ultima 12 product page. On Bed Bath & Beyond’s site, the Beyond+ members discounted current price is $317. However, the currently the product is unavailable.

The main advantage of Ultima 12 over Ultima 9 is that while the former has 12 lasers, the latter has 9. Treatment time is just 8 minutes with the Ultima 12, versus 11 minutes with the Ultima 9.