Hair Restoration with Non-Ablative Er:YAG Laser

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Hair loss is one of the most common aesthetic concerns in women and men worldwide. Laser therapy, including low-level laser therapy, has demonstrated potential efficacy in hair restoration; however, not enough is known about the effect of Er:YAG laser monotherapy.

Methods: Four female patients with Ludwig scale classification level I-3 to I-4 androgenetic alopecia (AGA) were treated with 8 sessions of non-ablative Er:YAG laser (2940nm). The outcome was assessed objectively using trichoscopy analysis of the frontal, vertex, temporal, and occipital scalp regions, and subjectively by means of a patient satisfaction questionnaire using the 7-point Likert scale from 1 (very unsatisfied with hair appearance) to 7 (very satisfied with hair appearance). All metrics were assessed at baseline, after the fourth session, after the eighth session, and at the 1-month and 3-month follow-up visits. At each session, patients were monitored for potential pain during the laser treatment by means of an 11-point pain scale.

Results: Compared to baseline, average hair count, cumulative hair thickness, and number of follicular units (FUs) at different time points demonstrated relatively large fluctuations. Nevertheless, at 3-month follow-up all patients exhibited an increase in trichoscopy parameters from baseline in all scalp regions, with a statistically significant increase in the vertex and frontal regions, indicating an improvement of AGA symptoms after treatment. Median patient satisfaction increased on the Likert scale from a 3 at baseline to a 6 at the 3-month follow-up.

Conclusion: Treatment results of this small case series suggest that monotherapy with non-ablative Er:YAG laser is a promising treatment for AGA; however, more studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of this modality.