Review: iRestore Elite Laser Hair Growth System

Aging is hard. It’s jarring when the luscious, flowing locks of your youth start to disappear before your very eyes. But it can’t be helped—or can it? Red light therapy has been used to treat inflammation, pain relief, and wrinkles, and it's now being applied to hair regrowth. It’s also a much more accessible option than flying to Istanbul for a full-on hair transplant.

iRestore’s Elite red light therapy cap appeared on my radar because of my own hair woes, including scalp irritation and eczema. My hope was that it could help with cell regeneration and kill off the bacteria causing flares.

However, an even better test subject stood right before me—my husband, who is dealing with a rapidly receding hairline. He’s always excited to help with mattress and sleep product testing, so I roped him into testing this hair-growth helmet—for science, of course. To help understand said science, I also spoke with Zakia Rahman, MD, FAAD. Rahman is a clinical professor of dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a trailblazer in red light therapy research.

Plugged In

Photograph: Julia Forbes

Red light therapy didn’t start as a treatment for anti-aging and recovery. It actually came about as an accidental solution for hair loss in the 1960s, when Hungarian scientist Endre Mester was researching whether exposure to red light could treat cancer in hairless mice. Imagine his surprise when the mice started growing hair!

Red light therapy has come a long way since then. Rahman explained that red light wavelengths activate the mitochondria in skin cells and increase blood flow to hair follicles. This uptick in stimulation encourages mitochondria to increase their production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which promotes new growth.

When it comes to efficacy, we noted that iRestore Elite is FDA-cleared. This is a designation bestowed on moderate-risk tools that are sufficiently similar to other cleared devices already on the market. There are specific pathways that devices must follow to obtain FDA clearance, and the iRestore Elite was cleared through the FDA's 510(k) premarket evaluation.

There are three hair-growth devices in iRestore's lineup: the entry-level Essential ($499), the mid-tier Professional ($899), and the Elite ($1,899). Each contains iRestore’s “Lumitech” technology, which combines LED lights and medical-grade lasers. These laser diodes are proprietary to iRestore and are called Vixo lasers, operating in the 655- to 680-nanometer (nm) range. (Preliminary studies with mice have shown that using red light in the 600- to 660-nm range, and infrared wavelengths in the 800- to 850-nm range, can promote everything from cell regeneration to pain relief.)

The idea is that this dynamic duo can penetrate deeper into the skin than ordinary red light with lasers, while the LEDs ensure light is distributed across the scalp for maximum efficacy. Together, they reach a maximum of 2,500 milliwatts (mW), compared to the Professional's 1,410 mW and Essential's 600 mW.

The Elite is iRestore’s top-of-the-line offering and has the most LEDs of the three laser hair-growth systems, with 500 diodes total—that's 300 lasers and 200 LEDs. The Essential has 51 lasers and 69 LEDs for a total of 120 diodes, while the iRestore Pro has 82 lasers and 200 LEDs for a total of 282 diodes. The Elite was also designed to cover more of the scalp. The Elite requires 12 minutes of daily use, while the Professional and Essential require 25 minutes every other day.

If price is not an object, the Elite is the no-brainer choice for more concentrated light therapy, shorter use time, and potentially faster results.

Rooting for You

Photograph: Julia Forbes

The helmet arrived in hefty red packaging, containing the helmet, portable battery pack, charging cord, and a red-and-black zippered travel case. It feels very fragile, and I wouldn't throw it around—then again, you probably wouldn't be shoving an $1,899 helmet in the back of your bathroom vanity.

While you’re only wearing the helmet for 12 minutes during your daily session, the red lights do feel like you're sitting under bright, hot sunlight. The remote displays a countdown of how many minutes you have left and beeps when it's done. I was testing the helmet to treat my dry scalp and eczema, and I checked my watch every single minute, feeling warmer and warmer. Sweating is a big no-no for eczema, so I wasn’t thrilled to experience this side effect. With time, my husband was able to get used to this, as it’s not painful, just uncomfortable at first.

Within the first two weeks of continuous use (this does include use of iRestore's shampoo, conditioner, supplements, and serum), I was thrilled to see baby hairs begin to pop up around his hairline. This continued through the first two months of use. The top of his crown had more volume and overall hair density, while new growth appeared in the more drastically affected areas near his forehead. While it didn’t cover up the scalp altogether, it was enough for old college friends and family members to remark on how good his hair looked.

Photograph: Julia Forbes

The effects aren't permanent, though. Unfortunately, my husband fell off the bandwagon and stopped the iRestore routine around the holidays due to travel. The case that comes with the iRestore Elite makes it super portable, but we were nervous about leaving it behind as we hopped from place to place. Just as they had so quickly appeared, stopping the treatments made the progress fade in a matter of weeks. Just like that, he was back to square one.

Rahman likens this phenomenon to the importance of daily diet and exercise—one instance of either won't make a difference in your health or daily routine. Rather, it's the consistent practice that delivers results. When I told her that my husband's hair growth had fallen off, she strongly encouraged us to pick it back up.

Final Countdown

Photograph: Julia Forbes

One of the biggest claims from iRestore, though, was that consistent use of an iRestore device like the Elite could lead to hair growth within 16 weeks. The star ingredient in the serum and shampoo is plant-based Redensyl, which is meant to fortify hair follicles during their regrowth. Additional elements like the shampoo's castor oil and biotin, vegan keratin, and argan oil in the conditioner also act as natural strengtheners.

The supplements contained natural dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blockers derived from saw palmetto. These blockers work to prevent the enzyme (5-alpha reductase) from transforming testosterone into DHT. In essence, this hormone is the driver behind hair loss, excessive shedding, and general inactivity in hair growth.

The idea is that using these extras alongside the iRestore Elite will help achieve lasting results. I tested the Elite for eczema and dry scalp, but these didn't do much for me. With my husband’s consistent use, they seemed to yield results a bit faster. (Full disclosure: He was also using his usual Rogaine throughout this entire process.) The supplements, strengthening serum, shampoo, and conditioner are included with the purchase of the iRestore Elite; we figured adding them into his routine could only help. It's convenient that these are included, but you don't need to go out of your way to buy them specifically from iRestore.

There are plenty of anti-hair-loss treatments available, from visiting your dermatologist to establish a hair health regimen to oral and topical medications to hair transplant procedures. All have their merits in slowing hair thinning and promoting fuller hair. I asked Rahman whether red light therapy could be its own treatment or was best used with the extras. “Combination therapy will work better than a stand-alone," she says. Red light therapy can operate on its own, but the benefits only increase when you throw in minoxidil and other proven hair-loss measures.

The iRestore Elite did quell my scalp flare-ups, but I don't think I'd throw down almost two grand for that. But when it comes to hair regrowth, that's a totally different story. My husband was already using Rogaine before the iRestore Elite showed up, but together with the helmet and iRestore's hair growth products and supplements, he had great results that he just wasn't seeing before. For those pursuing thicker hair at home, the iRestore Elite is surprisingly effective.