Skin Type and Efficacy of Laser Treatment for Androgenic Alopecia

September 2022 in “ Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology ”

Nathan C. Balukoff, Catherine C. Motosko, Antonella Tosti

androgenic alopecia low light laser therapy Fitzpatrick skin types laser-induced hair growth laser therapy hair loss

TLDR More research is needed to understand how skin type affects laser treatment for hair loss.

The study investigates the impact of skin type on the efficacy of low light laser therapy for treating androgenic alopecia. A comprehensive literature search of the MEDLINE database revealed that only 8 out of 21 studies included Fitzpatrick skin types I-IV, while 13 studies did not mention skin type or color. None of the studies addressed effects on Fitzpatrick skin types V-VI. Among the 8 studies, only 3 statistically analyzed the effect of skin type on laser efficacy, with 2 showing no effect and 1 indicating a significant positive effect for darker skin types. The conclusion highlights a lack of sufficient data to determine the impact of skin type on laser-induced hair growth, emphasizing the need for more research, especially on black or brown skin colors, to develop personalized laser therapy settings.

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