Adverse effects reported in epilatory ruby laser treatment

Abstract

A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the incidence of reported adverse responses after epilatory laser treatment to control the growth of facial hair in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. Forty-eight patients received a median of 6 (range 2-11) treatments with an Aesculap ruby laser during a 704 day monitoring period at Salisbury District Hospital. Nine adverse skin responses such as blistering, scabbing, sustained localised erythematous reactions or hyperpigmentation were reported. The energy output of the laser was also recorded at the start of every clinical session during this period using an external energy meter. The measured energy output of the laser was plotted alongside incidents of adverse responses, although no statistically significant correlation was found. The question of whether or not some adverse effects in ruby laser treatment can be attributed to laser performance remains open.

Variations in laser energy outputs over a series of simulated treatments

“…3 It has been shown that variations in output energy of 10% can result in adverse effects caused by overtreatment. 4,5 In addition to this, differences between patients, anatomical sites and seasonal variations in skin tone result in varied responses to the same laser settings. In order to account for variations in laser output and patient anatomy, test patches are routinely carried out prior to skin laser treatments.…”

Adverse Events of Light-Assisted Hair Removal: An Updated Review

“…16 First-and second-degree burns manifesting as blisters were reported in many studies using ruby, diode, and alexandrite lasers. 10,12,[24][25][26][27][28] In a cohort study of 217 patients of various ethnic origins, the prevalence of burns reached 24.1% with the 805 nm diode laser. 24 Skin burning was also reported as a major complication of IPL, presenting as erosions and bullae in 2.5% of 2541 female hirsute patients, and typically more prevalent in older, darker-skinned, and multi-treated women.…”

Peristomal hair removal with an Alexandrite laser

“…Epilatory laser treatment has been used extensively for a wide variety of applications. In experienced hands, with well‐maintained equipment, the incidence of adverse effects is low and usually limited to the rare occurrence of pigmentary changes, blistering or scab formation . Light from the Alexandrite laser is absorbed more strongly than that from a neodymium YAG laser.…”