Laser-assisted hair removal for facial hirsutism in women: A review of evidence

Abstract

Poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has been described as the common diagnosis for hirsutism in women. Facial hirsutism is by far the most distressing symptom of hyperandrogenism in women with PCOS. A statistically significant improvement in psychological well-being has been reported in patients with PCOS allocated for laser-assisted hair removal. The theory of selective photothermolysis has revolutionized laser hair removal in that it is effective and safe, when operated by sufficiently trained and experienced professionals. Long-pulsed ruby (694 nm), long-pulsed alexandrite (755 nm), diode (800-980 nm), and long-pulsed Nd:YAG (1064 nm) are commercially available laser devices for hair removal most widely studied. This article will introduce the fundamentals and mechanism of action of lasers in hair removal, in a contemporary literature review looking at medium to long term efficacy and safety profiles of various laser hair removal modalities most widely commercially available to date.

Safety and efficacy of single pass vs multipass emission with 755 alexandrite laser for all‐skin‐type hair removal: A pilot study

“…The effectiveness of hair removal with the long‐pulsed 755 nm alexandrite laser was first described by Finkel et al 13 Since then, many studies have confirmed the efficacy and safety profile of this device, 14‐17 with a median hair reduction rate of 70% to 96% 8,10 . According to literature data, our patients showed an average hair reduction of 87% after SP Motus AX treatment and 78.5% after Moveo.…”

“…The effectiveness of hair removal with the long-pulsed 755 nm alexandrite laser was first described by Finkel et al 13 Since then, many studies have confirmed the efficacy and safety profile of this device, [14][15][16][17] with a median hair reduction rate of 70% to 96%. 8,10 According to literature data, our patients showed an average hair reduction of 87% In a prospective study by Garcia et al 19 In the literature, many uncommon alexandrite side effects have been reported, including purpura, 24 Interestingly, our study showed a significant improvement of PFC in all our patients.…”

Management and prevention of laser complications in aesthetic medicine: An analysis of the etiological factors

“… The unreasonable use of laser methods as monotherapy, which do not have a sufficient reliable evidence base, are not included in modern treatment guidelines and have auxiliary value in the complex therapy of the pathology being treated (eg, acne, inflammatory rosacea, hirsutism 18 ). Clinical case: An increase in the severity of the inflammatory process in a 22‐year‐old patient with conglobate acne after 2 sessions of laser treatment using a laser without prescribing systemic and topical drug therapy (Figure 2A).…”

“…The unreasonable use of laser methods as monotherapy, which do not have a sufficient reliable evidence base, are not included in modern treatment guidelines and have auxiliary value in the complex therapy of the pathology being treated (eg, acne, inflammatory rosacea, hirsutism 18 ).…”

Effect of Laser-Assisted Hair Removal (LAHR) on the Quality of Life and Depression in Hirsute Females: A Single-Arm Clinical Trial

“…8-10 Nowadays, laser-assisted hair removal (LAHR) is the most common procedure, currently approved to treat this disorder. 11 Although previous studies have shown a desirable effect of LAHR on hirsute females' quality of life through the assessment of DLQI, 10,12,13 they mainly used the visual analogue scale to evaluate the effect of LAHR on the severity of hirsutism and omitted the evaluation of depression as a majorrelated psychological problem. The goal of the current study was to assess how LAHR affected the quality of life, depression severity, and the Ferriman-Gallwey score which measures how severe hirsutism is.…”