A systematic review of the use of lasers for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa.

Aim: To conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness of various types of lasers (and light based therapies) for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and to establish recommendations based on our findings.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, Cochrane and PubMed databases.

Study Selection: English language studies describing the use of laser for the treatment of HS.

Data Extraction: Multiple reviewers performed independent extraction and identified 22 studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Data Synthesis: Studies were categorised according to grading recommendations based on evidence quality guidelines for systematic reviews. Only 2 studies met criteria to be assigned the highest grade.

Conclusion: Nd:YAG laser has been shown to be effective for the treatment of HS, as is intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) using the same principles of laser hair removal. There is weak evidence to recommend the use of carbon dioxide, diode or alexandrite lasers. The need for larger randomized controlled trials is highlighted.