New wearable micro LED device shows promise in making hair grow on a bald patch
Worried about hair fall? This new micro LED device developed by researchers at the American Chemical Society might be the answer you were looking for.
Hair loss affects millions of people worldwide – both men and women. It affects both self esteem and confidence in a lot of people. The causes of hair loss are multifactorial including age, stress, genetic, hormonal problems and use of medications.
In spite of years of research, treatment of hair loss is limited to minoxidil (a vasodilator), vitamins, steroid injections and hair transplant surgery. Treatment however is not full proof and misses are quite common.
The device might have other applications in future, like wound healing, treatment of acne and skin lightening
Previous researches have shown that stimulating skin with lasers can regrow hair but such devices are large, requires lot of energy and occasionally causes burns due to increased heat production.
Researchers have developed a flexible, wearable photostimulator, an ultrathin assemblage of flexible vertical micro-light-emitting diodes (μLEDs). The arrangement consists of 900 red μLEDs (because wavelength of red light penetrates skin better) on a chip slightly smaller than a postage stamp and only 20 millimeters thick.
Scientists tested the device’s capacity to regrow hair on mice with shaved backs. One group of mice received minoxidil injections while the other group was untreated. The micro LED patch was applied for 15 minutes every day for 20 days. LED treated mice demonstrated altogether faster hair growth, a more wider regrowth zone, and longer hairs.
The researchers believe that this device might have other applications in future, like wound healing, treatment of acne and skin lightening.
The study was published in the journal ACS Nano.
