Evidence-based guidance on scalp health, common hair and scalp concerns, and the habits that support stronger, healthier-looking hair from the root.
Red light therapy has more evidence behind it for hair than for most concerns it is marketed for, and considerably more than its reputation as a skincare treatment suggests. Low-level laser and LED devices have been studied for pattern hair loss for decades, and several are cleared by regulators for that specific use.
In-clinic light therapy and at-home LED masks use the same wavelengths and the same underlying mechanism, which makes the difference between them one of degree rather than of kind. Clinics deliver more light per session under professional supervision, while masks deliver less light more often in the comfort of a living room.
Both treatments target the same problem from opposite directions. Minoxidil is a topical drug applied to the scalp daily, while red light therapy is a device used for short sessions a few times a week, and the two act on entirely different parts of the hair growth cycle.