Umpire raises finger to laser hair ad

Martin Crowe

A British advertising watchdog has ruled the laser hair treatment system endorsed by former cricket great Martin Crowe and other sports stars is misleading.

Two British viewers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about television advertisements from the Advanced Hair Studio, saying the treatment was not medically proven.

They said the drug used to stimulate growth - Minoxidil - would work by itself anyway, and that continuous treatment was needed, which the advertisements did not say.

The company has used cricket stars including Crowe, Australia's Shane Warne and former England player Graham Gooch to promote the product.

In its defence Advanced Hair Studio gave the authority a study that supported the laser treatment, and letters from two academics who said the laser was effective.

In his testimonial on the Advanced Hair Studio website Crowe says he had faced the world's toughest bowlers, "but the toughest test I've had to face was with the mirror, and the fact that I was losing hair".

He said the treatment had "replaced my hair, strand by strand ... and now I'm happy to face just about anything".

After investigating the complaints the authority said the laser treatment's effectiveness had not been proven and that "using a testimonial by a celebrity was unacceptable".

It made no mention of a penalty.