Axillary hair removal with simultaneous emission of LP alexandrite 755 nm and LP Nd:YAG 1064 nm: a prospective comparative evaluation of both lasers used individually and in dual mode.

Background: Alexandrite laser is more adapted for lighter hair but not for darker skin, while the Nd:YAG laser is more suitable for darker skin but not for lighter hair.

Objective: To evaluate both laser used as single treatment and in simultaneous emission for axillary hair removal.

Method: Ten patients (18-40 years old) were selected for this study. The spot size and pulse time were kept constant for all patients, 14 mm and 5 ms, respectively. The fluences were 20 to 28 J/cm, 16 to 25 J/cm, and 14-8 J/cm to 25-13 J/cm for Nd:YAG, alexandrite and the combined alex/YAG, respectively. Three treatment sessions were performed at 6-week interval, and patients were reviewed 4 months after the last session.

Results: The median number of hairs reduced from 46.00 to 33.00 ( = .022) for alexandrite, from 44.50 to 30.00 ( = .02) for Nd:YAG and from 56.00 to 19.50 ( = .005) for alexandrite-Nd:YAG, equivalent to 46.70%, 27.74% and 70.12% median hair reduction, respectively.

Conclusions: The simultaneous emission of both 755 nm and 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser is significantly more effective than a single laser treatment. Future studies are needed to confirm the good results of this innovative technique.