Laser Hair Transplantation: Is It Really State of the Art?

In 1996, the authors of a letter to the editor critically evaluated the use of CO₂ lasers in hair transplantation, pointing out that the term "laser hair transplantation" was misleading since lasers were only used for site creation. They raised concerns about the negative effects of laser use, such as pain, compromised blood supply, thermal damage to tissues, reduced hair yield, and potential impact on graft survival. Additionally, they discussed the adverse effects on dermal collagen and elasticity, which could lead to increased scarring and graft loss. The authors suggested that future research should focus on technologies that preserve hair and adapt to scalp variations. They concluded that while lasers could be valuable if issues like thermal damage were resolved and uniform sites could be rapidly produced, caution was warranted. They proposed that significant advancements in hair restoration might come from automating manual processes rather than laser surgery.