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Evaluation of wavelength-dependent hair growth effects on low-level laser therapy: an experimental animal study

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Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the wavelength-dependent effects of hair growth on the shaven backs of Sprague–Dawley rats using laser diodes with wavelengths of 632, 670, 785, and 830 nm. Each wavelength was selected by choosing four peak wavelengths from an action spectrum in the range 580 to 860 nm. The laser treatment was performed on alternating days over a 2-week period. The energy density was set to 1.27 J/cm2 for the first four treatments and 1.91 J/cm2 for the last four treatments. At the end of the experiment, both photographic and histological examinations were performed to evaluate the effect of laser wavelength on hair growth. Overall, the results indicated that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with a 830-nm wavelength resulted in greater stimulation of hair growth than the other wavelengths examined and 785 nm also showed a significant effect on hair growth.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by research grants from the Catholic University of Daegu in 2014.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

All procedures performed in this study involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Animal Care and Use Committee of the Catholic University of Daegu (approval no. CUD-2014-33).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution at which the studies were conducted (CUD-2014-033).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medical Science, Catholic University of Daegu, Gyeongsan, 712-702, South Korea

    Tae-Hoon Kim, Nam-Jeong Kim & Jong-In Youn

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  1. Tae-Hoon Kim
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  2. Nam-Jeong Kim
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  3. Jong-In Youn
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Correspondence to Jong-In Youn.

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Kim, TH., Kim, NJ. & Youn, JI. Evaluation of wavelength-dependent hair growth effects on low-level laser therapy: an experimental animal study. Lasers Med Sci 30, 1703–1709 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-015-1775-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-015-1775-9

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