Topical eflornithine hydrochloride improves the effectiveness of standard laser hair removal for treating pseudofolliculitis barbae: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) significantly impacts the military population, especially deployed personnel.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to determine whether the addition of topical eflornithine to hair laser treatment would improve efficacy in treating PFB.


METHODS
This was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, paired (right and left neck) comparison study examining a combination of eflornithine and hair laser versus placebo and hair laser for the treatment of PFB. In all, 27 male patients with clinical PFB were treated with a long-pulsed neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser with an energy fluence of 25 to 30 J/cm(2), a pulse duration of 20 to 30 milliseconds, and a 10-mm spot size to the entire bearded neck region. The laser treatment was performed every 4 weeks for a total of 16 weeks. Between laser treatments, patients applied eflornithine and placebo creams twice daily to opposite sides of the bearded neck region. The number of hairs and inflammatory papules were counted bilaterally at each visit.


RESULTS
The eflornithine side had a statistically significant decrease in the number of hairs and inflammatory papules compared with the placebo side. At 16 weeks, the eflornithine side had a median hair reduction of 99.5% from baseline (range 48.5%-100.0%), whereas the placebo side had an 85.0% median hair reduction from baseline (range 50.5%-94.5%), P less than .001.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients were not followed up beyond 16 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
The addition of topical eflornithine to hair laser treatment decreased hairs and inflammatory papules faster when compared with hair laser therapy alone in the treatment of PFB.
Dermatology Service, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, San Antonio, Texas 78236, USA. yang.xia@us.army.mil
Yang
Y
Xia
Sunghun
S
Cho
Robin S
RS
Howard
Kurt L
KL
Maggio
D000287:Administration, Topical; D000328:Adult; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000518:Eflornithine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004643:Emollients / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006201:Hair Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006204:Hair Removal / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D009333:Neck; D010919:Placebos; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult; D005499:Folliculitis
D004643:Emollients; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010919:Placebos; D000518:Eflornithine