Narrow-Band Red LED Light Promotes Mouse Hair Growth Through Paracrine Growth Factors From Dermal Papilla

September 2011 in “ Journal of Dermatological Science ”

Tomohiro Fushimi, Shigeki Inui, M. Ogasawara, Takeshi Nakajima, Ko Hosokawa, Satoshi Itami

narrow-band red LED light hair growth dermal papilla anagen phase HGF Leptin VEGF-A TNF-a ELISA red LED light hair regrowth growth factors tumor necrosis factor alpha

TLDR Red LED light helps mouse hair grow by increasing growth factors from skin cells.

In the 2011 study, researchers found that narrow-band red LED light at 638 nm significantly promoted hair growth in mice and increased the expression of growth factors in human dermal papilla cells in vitro. The treated mice showed larger hair regrowth areas and signs of entering the anagen phase, while the human cells exhibited higher mRNA levels of HGF, Leptin, VEGF-A, and lower levels of TNF-a, with corresponding protein level changes confirmed by ELISA. The study concluded that red LED light could be an effective and convenient treatment for hair loss, potentially acting through the upregulation of specific growth factors from dermal papilla cells.

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