No Skin is Too Light or Too Dark for Ever-Evolving Laser Hair Removal Technology

Newswise -- Lasers and light-based hair removal technology are at the forefront of providing long-lasting relief for patients with excess hair, and now new research shows promise in treating people with skin and hair of all hues.

Speaking recently at the 62nd annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), dermatologist Elizabeth L. Tanzi, MD, Dermatologic Laser Surgery Fellow at the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, D.C., presented the results of new studies involving laser and light-based hair removal for all skin types.

The causes of excessive hair growth are varied and include heredity, hormonal imbalance, and medication use. Increased hair growth can be specific to one area of the body or cover a general area. In the past, the only treatments that offered temporary relief were shaving, electrolysis, waxing, and depilatory use. When doctors introduced laser-assisted hair removal in the mid-1990s, a new era of hair removal had begun.

While laser hair removal can be used to treat certain hair-related medical conditions, including ingrown hairs and excessive hair growth, many patients want hair removal for cosmetic reasons.

"The women I see in my practice primarily come in to get rid of excess facial hair or to have their bikini line done, and usually men want the hair removed from their chest or back, " said Tanzi. "But these days, almost any part of the body can be treated."

Lasers work to successfully reduce hair growth and thickness by releasing pulses of light that penetrate the skin and are drawn to the pigmentation of hair follicles. These follicles selectively absorb the laser energy and are subsequently destroyed by it. At the same time, the surrounding skin tissue is left unaffected, and patients experience minimal side effects.

However, one early limitation of even the most successful hair removal lasers was that no single system could effectively remove the hair of every skin type. Dark-skinned patients sometimes experienced skin discoloration, and patients with white, gray, or light hair could not benefit from this treatment because their hair follicles were unable to absorb the laser's energy. The ideal candidate for successful laser treatment was a patient with two specific traits -- light skin and dark hair.

Today that's no longer the case, according to research published in the February 2004 edition of the medical journal Dermatologic Surgery. In this study of 36 dark-haired adults with varying skin tones, dermatologists used a long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser to remove unwanted dark hair. Patients received three consecutive treatments over four- to six-week intervals.

One month after the third and final treatment, the patients experienced successful hair reduction ranging from 58 percent to 62 percent on the face and 66 percent to 69 percent on other parts of the body. Success was still noticeable six months after the final treatment, with a mean hair reduction of 41 percent to 46 percent on the face and 48 percent to 53 percent on the body.

"We've really come a long way in the treatment of excessive hair growth," said Dr. Tanzi. "The majority of patients we studied experienced successful hair removal after the series of three consecutive laser treatments, and adverse reactions were limited to mild pain, some short-term redness, and rare occurrences of skin discoloration without scarring."

Early findings of research currently underway shows blond-haired patients are also benefitting from two different types of technology -- intense-pulsed light systems and combined radiofrequency and optical energy technology. Whereas a conventional laser emits a single wavelength of light, these new hair removal technologies use hundreds of wavelengths of light to accomplish the same goal, albeit with a lower -- and safer -- level of energy.

"Although only in the early stages of research, we've taken some pretty big steps with these technologies toward the removal of unwanted blond and white hair on the face," said Tanzi. "Studies have demonstrated encouraging results after a series of treatments, with minimal side effects."

While recent media reports have touched on the rise of patient complications in the treatment of hair removal, Tanzi explained that most of these cases have involved non-medical practitioners. With that in mind, Tanzi recommended that patients considering laser or light-based hair removal should seek out a board-certified dermatologist who has treated a number of patients and can provide before-and-after photographs.

"When done properly, laser hair removal can be performed quickly and comfortably during an outpatient visit," said Tanzi. "Patients can resume normal activities immediately with minimal care to the treated area. But the key with any type of laser surgery is finding an experienced, qualified physician."

The American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations.

Source: American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)

Share this article: Email, Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Yahoo!MyWeb, Windows Live Favorites, Furl
Add this article feed to: RSS, My Yahoo, Newsgator, Bloglines