This review is for Capillus Mobile Laser Therapy Cap. As Low Level Laser Therapy device for hair loss treatment, Capillus is no different from other brands like iRestore, Theradome and HairMax in the following several aspects: (a)  how it works;  (b) the suitable hair loss it can treat; (c) the skin type it may work (yes, not all skin will work) ; (d) and safety.  Nonetheless, it is quite unique in several aspects which are explained in the following sections. 

What is the Capillus Laser Hair Growth System?

Capillus is an FDA-cleared (not FDA approved) laser hair therapy system for androgenic alopecia (male or female pattern baldness). Capillus laser therapy caps use safe, low level lasers to energize hair follicles and spur new, natural hair growth. Different from other LLLT device that are more like "helmet", Capillus is more like a hat (see above the main image of this blog). The main device consists of a detachable hat with Capillus logo and an inner dome. The laser diode boards are mounted inside the dome (see the image at the end of this blog). There is a clear plastic shied to cover the laser diode board to prevent the diodes from contacting hair directly when the cap is worn.  The latest version of Capillus has a patent-pending flexible dome design (see below). 

Three types of Capillus laser therapy Caps

Capillus has three different models: Capillus82, Capillus202, and Capillus272pro. The difference of the three models mainly lies in the number of number of diodes. The warranty is also different. The price seems to be proportional to the number of diodes. It is approximately $10 per diode, which is low compared to other brands.  See the comparison below.   

Capillus Does Not Work for All Hair Loss Types

Capillus works only for genetic hair loss (androgenic alopecia, or pattern hair loss). Even with the genetic hair loss, it only intends for men between the age range of 18-48 (Norwood-Hamilton Scale between Class IIa to V )and women between 18-60 years who are suffering from hair loss (Ludwig Savin Scale between Class I to II ) (see image below). 

Capillus Does NOT Work For All Skin Types

 The skin type Capillus may work is Fitzpatrick Skin Types  I to VI as indicated below. Worth noting that it works better for light skin than dark skin. Presumably the dark skin obstacle the penetration of laser light and makes it less effective or ineffective at all. 

How Does Capillus Work? 

The hat, when worn appropriately on the head and switched on, emits a red light, which is then absorbed by your cells. The light energy absorbed stimulates a rapid change in the metabolism rate and ATP production of the cells. This causes the hair follicles that have long been dormant to start producing hair again.  Results is said to be visible at the beginning of 17 weeks. 

What is included in Capillus package?

How is Capillus compared to other laser helmets?

 *: Capillus is a cap like laser helmet. The size of the cap can't be adjusted to fit heads of different size. However, it offers two sizes of the cap, one for average size of head and one for larger head.

**: Capillus and Igrow provide wall plugs that look similar to what is shown below. It includes changeable plug prongs so it can be used in most countries in the world. The AC adaptor of all four brands above can be used with voltage from 100 v to 240v. 

***: Capillus has two other versions Capillus202, and Capillus272Pro. 

How to use Capillus Laser Therapy Cap?

User is supposed to wear Capillus cap every day, 6 minutes a day.  All you have to do is put it on your head, press the power button to turn on the cap. The cap is light and convenient to wear.  The laser and LED lights turn off after 6 minutes. Capillus cap has proximity sensors for your safety consideration. It automatically turns off if you ever need to take off the cap in the middle of the treatment. Continuous to use of the device is needed to keep the results. 

It is interesting to see that the Capillus requires user to wear it every day. When it was initially launched, users were only required to use 2-3 times a week with 20 minutes each time which was the same as other brands like iRestore  and Theradome. Not sure if Capillus is forced to cut down the treatment time each time and increase the number of treatment due to the intrinsic issue of its design. Compared to other brands, the ventilation of Capillus seems to be less efficient, which may results in over-heating of the device and shorten the life span of the laser diodes. 

Personally, I prefer to use it 2 to 3 times a week (20 minutes each time). 

Capillus Safety, Side Effects

Capillus is generally believed to be free of any side side effects except for some complaint of scalp itchiness. 

It very important to make sure your head is free of minoxidil or any other hair care products when you use Capillus hair laser treatment device. You can still use minoxidil products like Lipogaine and Rogaine as if you were not using the laser helmet. You just need to wash your head and dry it before you use Capilus.

It is imperative that you keep the device away from water, wet spots, or anything damp. Also, make sure your hair is dry before using it, and it should be kept away from the reach of children or pets.

Avoid looking at the laser light diodes directly when they are on. 

Capillus before and After picture Results

In a small scale clinic study performed by a third party, all subjects noticed improvement after using Capillus laser therapy cap for over 17 weeks. Reduced hair loss was noticed and some were reported to see some hair regrowth.

Customer 1: 

Customer 2: 

Capillus Price

The standard price of Capillus82 laser hair regrowth helmet with a battery is $799.00. Capillus202 is $1999, and Capillus272Pro (prescription only) is $2,999.  

Where to Buy Capillus

You can either order it from Amazon or Capillus official website and its liscensed the clinics.  

Conclusion on Capillus

If your hair loss is mild and your main goal is to stop further hair loss, you can try lower level laser therapy (LLLT). However, if your hair loss is in an advanced stage and you want to regrow some of your loss hair, it is better to use FDA approved  products like Minoxidil and/or finasteride (instead of FDA cleared LLLT device).  If you do decide to try LLLT treatment, Capillus definitely is not a bad choice. You can also consider other similar device like Theradome (requires less frequent use) and iRestore (fewer laser diodes and lower price). 

More images of Capillus laser hair regrowth cap