Hair reduction using intense pulsed light source.
BACKGROUND
Long-term hair removal in hirsute women remains a challenging issue. Various laser and laser-like devices are currently in use for hair removal, but little is known about the permanence of their results. This study deals with the permanence of hair removal using the intense pulsed light source (IPLS).


OBJECTIVE
To test the effectiveness in long-term hair reduction.


METHODS
Seventy female hirsute patients were selected in the Department of Laser Therapy at the Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands. The average age of the mostly dark-haired patients of various skin types (Fitzpatrick I to V) was 41 years. They were subjected to a mean of 8 treatments (range of 2 to 23) followed for a mean period of 27.3 months.


RESULTS
Using the IPLS, 87% hair removal was achieved, whereby the number of treatments correlated with the amount of hair lost. No correlation was found between hair removal and patient-related or technical data. Minimal side effects occurred in 10% of the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The IPLS system with its broad range of technical variables is effective in achieving long-term hair removal.
Schroeter
Careen A
CA
Department of Laser Therapy, Medical Center Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands. lasermed@schroeter.tmfweb.nl
Groenewegen
Jan S
JS
Reineke
Thorsten
T
Neumann
Herman A M
HA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006204:Hair Removal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome