Before I dive into my review of the Bosley Revitalizer 272, I will quickly take you through my hair loss journey. Feel free to skip this part, but I included it here for three reasons:
- I want to be completely transparent about what I’ve tried and not tried.
- I want you to understand the cost and limits of everything out there.
- I don’t want you to think that I got my results ONLY using low-level laser therapy (lllt)
My hair loss to hair regrowth journey
I think my hair loss started around age 23. At the very least, that’s when people close to me could notice my thinning hair. By 27, I was between level 3 and 4 on the Norwood-Hamilton androgenetic alopecia baldness scale.
In other words, I was falling victim to the dreaded male pattern baldness.
I tried minoxidil. Maybe it worked. Maybe it didn’t. I’ll never be completely sure because minoxidil is great at stopping hair loss, but it doesn’t quickly regrow hair. I tried oral finasteride for a month, but I stopped after I started to get a painful throbbing in my testicles.
In September 2018, at age 33, I got my first FUE hair transplant. [Read my experience and see a timeline of my results here—>My experience getting an FUE hair transplant]
Ten months later, I got my second FUE hair transplant.
Not only does my hair look great as a result, but now I’ve got a fuller head of hair to preserve. This makes me much more motivated to use Minoxidil daily (as of this writing, I’m on over a year streak of daily application), but it allows me to fully reap the benefits of other hair loss treatments.
This brings me nicely to my discovery of laser light technology and my experimentation with Bosley’s Revitalizer 272 laser cap.
Two disclaimers (You can also skip this if you want)
Before we dig into this section, I have to give you two major disclaimers:
- While Bosley hasn’t paid me for this review, they did supply me with a free laser cap to try. This doesn’t misalign my incentives or affect my review because they aren’t paying me any affiliate commission for any sold. Also, I already paid them about $20k for my two hair transplants.
- I haven’t tried other lllt technologies or laser hair growth therapy caps. I know other companies make competing devices (Hairmax, Irestore, Illumiflow, etc.), but I haven’t used them. This is one customer review of one specific brand. Don’t take this as an indictment against or an endorsement of laser hair restoration technology. It’s only an assessment of Bosley’s Revitalizer 272.
With that out of the way, let’s dig into the functions, features, and promises of the Bosley Revitalizer 272. From my limited experience, it does appear to be one of the best laser hair growth devices on the market.
What you need to know about low-level laser therapy (lllt)
I wrote an in-depth article on how LLLT works. You can read the whole thing here—>How Low-Level Laser Therapy worksfor hair loss
The TL:DR summary is that LLLT uses a low-power laser at a specific wavelength to promote hair growth if the hair follicles aren’t completely miniaturized. However, even hair follicles that are fairly advanced in their miniaturization can be revitalized due to LLLT.
When I got my hair transplants in 2018 and 2019, I had no idea that lllt technology existed. It was only in its infancy and was only available at certain locations.
It appears to be a serious cost-effective alternative to expensive hair restoration procedures or medications that alter your hormonal profile. It’s a non-invasive way to grow your hair back with a high success rate.
It’s also worth noting that the technology works on both men and women with no adverse side effects.
This is significant because any topical or chemical hair loss solutions have not only been off-limits to, women but there have also been significant side effects for men as well.
The features of the Bosley Revitalizer 272
- FDA cleared device. This is important. Not every laser cap on the market has been given the clinical seal of approval. This doesn’t stop them from selling the devices, but it does mean that it isn’t been held to an independent clinical and technological standard.
- Uses laser diodes. Not LEDs (light emitting diodes). When this technology first become available, many models use LED lights rather than lasers. The difference between the two is the LED light is not coherent, convergent, or in unison (Read the section of my article on LLLT about these qualities here—>The 3 qualities that make a laser different from conventional light sources).
LEDs just provide a type of red light therapy, which is not the same as LLLT. The Bosley Revitalizer 272 uses medical-grade laser emitting diodes (not light emitting diodes) for treatment. - 272 medical grade laser emitting diodes. This is what the 272 in “Bosley Revitalizer 272” stands for. Using 272 laser emitting diodes enables the cap to give your scalp full coverage in the areas where hair loss occurs (hairline, temples, and vertex).
Who can use the Bosley Revitalizer 272?
The laser treatment device is ideal for men and women suffering from hair loss due to any of the following reasons:
- Androgenic alopecia
- Alopecia areata
- Hormonal imbalances
- Postpartum
- Illness
- Chemotherapy
- Aging
It’s suitable for eople with all hair types. Based on my research, it also appears to be effective in people who are battle alopecia areta, the disease where the immune system attacks the hair follicles. Anyone who wants thicker hair, fuller hair, or healthy hair can try the hair cap or a even a laser comb.
The Bosley Revitalizer 272 can be used by almost anyone suffering from hair loss, caused hormonally or otherwise.
While there is always the possibility of failure in treatments like this, the success rate is high, and like all hair loss treatments, the earlier you start, the better.
Advanced hair loss (Norwood-Hamilton scale of 5 or greater/Ludwig-Savin scale of 4 or greater) is not automatically a failure. Still, the results may be less impressive and take longer to achieve.
What’s included with the laser cap and how does it work
The device comes with the following:
- Laser cap with the laser diodes
- Sports cap with Bosely logo to cover the sports cap
- Rechargeable battery pack
- Controller pod to activate
It’s a basic setup that’s easy to assemble and maintain. You have to charge it up for initial use, but that will only take about six hours.
You can choose to use it for 8 minutes daily or 30 minutes every other day.
While I doubt anything dangerous would happen if you used it more frequently than this, it wouldn’t speed up the rate of hair restoration, as the rate of hair growth is a fixed upper limit. On average, hair tends to grow between 0.5 and 1.7 centimeters per month. This is equivalent to around 0.2 to 0.7 inches.
This Bosley Revitalizer is extremely easy to use. You just put the cap on, turn the switch, and let it do its thing.
If you decide to pick it up, order from Amazon at this link—>order here.
I get a small, nearly insignificant commission if you purchase from there. This commission is not from Bosley, but I still figured I’d let you know if you found my review helpful.
Mainteance, storage, and warranty
You clean the inside of the cap as needed with simple alcohol. I imagine that it will get dirty, but using it right after you shower before putting any conditioners or creams in your hair that for style or aid your hair restoration should keep it clean.
You don’t need any special place to store it, though it does come with a nice box and bag emblazoned with the Bosley logo.
The warranty policy is quite simple. Purchases automatically come with a limited 1-year warranty which can be extended to 2 years. The device needs to be registered at https://www.bosley.com/RevitalizerRegistration.
This warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship. If Bosely determines that the device suffers from a defect under the warranty period, the parts will be repaired or replaced at no cost to the original purchaser. The warranty only applies to the original purchaser and cannot be transferred.
The final verdict on the Bosley 272 Revitalizer
So far, I’m enjoying the cap. The research is sound, and I’m always looking for things to add to my repertoire of hair maintenance
For guys who aren’t responding well to minoxidil, oral/topical finesteride, or any other chemical treatments, this is a good bet for you, as the light works with your biochemistry.
For guys who don’t have the money for an expensive FUE transplant, this is a reasonable alterative that has a much higher success rate than any other treatment except a hair transplant at a fraction of its cost.
As long as you’re not past level 5 on Norwood-Hamilton or level 4 on Ludwig-Savin scale, you have an excellent chance of seeing significant regrowth.
