Technology
Low-Level Laser Therapy
LLLT
Red and near-infrared light at sub-ablative fluence — stimulating mitochondrial function in hair follicle cells to shift them into the growth phase and support sustained hair density improvement.
In the ecosystem — 1 MANA device
Hair Growth
01
What it is
Low-Level Laser Therapy delivers coherent red light — typically in the 630–670 nm range — to the scalp at energy levels that stimulate cellular activity without heating or damaging tissue. The distinction from therapeutic laser applications is intentional: the dose is calibrated below any ablative or thermal threshold, targeting the photobiological response rather than the photothermal one.
In hair applications, the scalp absorbs the wavelength into dermal tissue, where follicular cells and local vasculature respond to the photobiomodulatory stimulus.
02
How it works in tissue
The primary target is cytochrome c oxidase — a mitochondrial enzyme that absorbs red and near-infrared light and, when activated, increases ATP production. In follicle cells, elevated ATP production supports the metabolic demands of the anagen (active growth) phase: cell proliferation, keratin synthesis, and matrix formation that underpin hair shaft production.
Clinically, this translates to a shift in the proportion of follicles in anagen at any given time — more follicles growing, fewer in the resting or shedding phases — and, over a course of treatment, measurably increased hair density and shaft caliber.
03
Where it earns its place
Hair growth programs have strong patient retention characteristics: the mechanism requires ongoing treatment to maintain the anagen-phase benefit, so patients who respond — and most with androgenetic alopecia do — are natural candidates for regular repeat sessions or at-home maintenance devices. LLLT is also fully compatible with topical and oral hair treatments, providing a practitioner-managed in-clinic component to a patient's overall hair-health program.
Independent clinical literature
The science, in the journals
Peer-reviewed research on low-level laser therapy for androgenetic alopecia and scalp hair growth.
- 01Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) for treatment of hair lossAvci P, Gupta GK, Clark J, Wikonkal N, Hamblin MR. Lasers Surg Med. 2014;46(2):144–151. PMID 23970445Controlled clinical trials demonstrated that LLLT stimulated hair growth in both men and women; hypothesized mechanism is stimulation of epidermal stem cells in the follicle bulge, shifting follicles into anagen.View →
- 02Low-level laser therapy for the treatment of androgenic alopecia: a reviewRamos PM, Miot HA. Lasers Med Sci. 2018;33(2):425–434. PMID 29270707. Meta-analysis of 13 clinical trials10 of 11 trials demonstrated significant improvement versus baseline or control; LLLT appears safe and effective as monotherapy or adjuvant to minoxidil or finasteride.View →
- 03Low-level laser/LED therapy is efficacious for androgenetic alopecia: systematic review and meta-analysisPerez SM, Vattigunta M, Kelly C, Eber A. Dermatol Surg. 2025;51(2):179–183Among patients with androgenetic alopecia, mean change in hair density increased significantly after LLLT versus placebo across a 4–26 week treatment window (SMD 1.32; 95% CI 0.93–1.71).View →
Independent publications on this technology class. Findings relate to the studied protocols and devices, not to any specific MANA device.
