title: Ninety percent permanent hair reduction in transsexual patients.
abstract: Transsexualism as a condition requires hair removal. Twenty-five male-to-female transsexual patients were included in this study on epilation using the Intense Pulsed Light Source (IPLS). Patients received a varying number of treatments, depending on their response. A mean hair clearance rate of 90% was achieved in the studied patients. The average number of treatments per patient was nine. A negative correlation was found between hair removal and the age of the patient. Hair removal was also found to be more effective when the patients had not used any needle epilation. No difference in hair removal was found between transsexual patients, who were hormonal, and those who were not. Follow-up lasted an average of 44 months. This study proved that the IPLS has the potential to be effective, permanent, and painless especially in younger patients who have not used any mechanical methods for epilation before photoepilation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Lasertherapy, Medical Centre Maastricht, Becanusstraat 17, 6216 BX Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Careen Angela
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Schroeter
authors.forename: Jan Stephen
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Groenewegen
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reineke
authors.forename: Hendrik Arend Martino
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Neumann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006204:Hair Removal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D014189:Transsexualism; D016896:Treatment Outcome