Evaluation of a long-pulse Q-switched Nd:YAG laser for hair removal.

Background: Hirsutism and hypertrichosis are common problems for which a permanent solution has been elusive. Laser-assisted hair removal is a promising technique. However, the optimal wavelength, pulse duration, and fluence continue to require further investigation.

Ruby laser hair removal: evaluation of long-term efficacy and side effects.

Background And Objective: Although several studies on laser-assisted hair removal have been published, data on long-term follow-up are few. The present study investigated the long-term efficacy and safety of normal-mode ruby laser pulses on hair removal.

Study Design/materials And Methods: The normal-mode ruby laser (Epilaser; 694 nm, 3 msec) was used to treat a wide range of body sites in 51 volunteers.

Ruby laser-assisted hair removal: an ultrastructural evaluation of cutaneous damage.

Ruby laser-assisted hair removal is thought to act via selective photothermolysis of melanin in the hair follicles. Although initial clinical trials of permanent hair removal using ruby lasers are promising, the exact mechanisms of hair destruction and the potential damage to other structures of skin are not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cutaneous ultrastructural changes following ruby laser hair removal.

Ruby laser-assisted hair removal reduces the coarseness of regrowing hairs: fallacy or fact?

There have been anecdotal reports that hairs that regrow after ruby laser-assisted hair removal are finer in appearance. If true, this phenomenon adds to the improved aesthetic effect of laser treatment of unwanted hair. It is the aim of this study to determine whether this phenomenon indeed occurs, and if so, assess its permanence and its mode of action.

Pili bigeminy induced by low fluence therapy with hair removal alexandrite and ruby lasers.

Background: Lasers are being widely used for the hair removal. Several complications including hyperpigmentation, erythma, hypopigmentation, and burns have been reported.

Objective: To study laser hair removal complications.

[Laser-assisted hair removal: realities and calculations].

Hair removal by laser is a current topic of interest for the public. Laser technologies have improved over recent years, bringing new opportunities for efficacious treatment of hypertrichosis. However, some contra-indications, side effects and limitations exist.

The effect of ruby laser light on cellular proliferation of epidermal cells.

In ruby laser-assisted hair removal, microscopic damage is often seen in the basal epidermal cells, where melanosomes are concentrated. It is not known whether this treatment leads to cellular hyperproliferation. It was the aim of this study to investigate this.

Unwanted body hair and its removal: a review.

Despite widespread demand for efficient, reliable methods of eliminating unwanted hair from the face and body, available options were limited until the recent development of laser-assisted hair removal systems. This is a review of the various types of hair removal methods available today with an emphasis on laser-assisted hair removal.

Laser hair removal: a review and report on the use of the long-pulsed alexandrite laser for hair reduction of the upper lip, leg, back, and bikini region.

Background: The mechanism and permanence of laser-assisted hair removal remains a formidable task in the medical community.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and long-term efficacy of the long-pulsed or normal mode alexandrite infrared laser for hair depilation.

Methods: Beginning in October 1996, a total of 31 anatomic sites on 22 patients ranging in age from 25 to 59 years (mean 42 years) were evaluated to assess hair removal.

Laser hair removal affects sebaceous glands and sebum excretion: a pilot study.

Background: During laser-assisted hair removal, sebaceous glands closely associated with hair follicles might also be affected.

Objective: We investigated the effect of the long-pulsed ruby laser on sebaceous glands.

Methods: Sebum excretion rates (SERs) of 16 subjects were measured quantitatively by means of sebum-absorbent tape and analyzed by means of image analysis techniques on laser-treated sites, compared with adjacent untreated areas.

Laser-assisted hair removal: side effects of Q-switched Nd:YAG, long-pulsed ruby, and alexandrite lasers.

Background: Laser-assisted hair removal has become popularized using wavelengths in both the red and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. These photoepilation devices target follicular melanin or an exogenous pigment placed within the follicle resulting in thermal damage to the hair follicle and shaft. However, melanocytes and keratinocytes located within the superficial layers of the skin also absorb red and infrared laser radiation.

Long-pulsed alexandrite laser-assisted hair removal at 5, 10, and 20 millisecond pulse durations.

Background: Several laser systems with varying wavelengths, pulse durations, and energy fluences are currently utilized for hair removal. However, the ideal laser parameters and treatment candidates for photoepilation remain largely unknown. The medical literature lacks a wealth of experimental data to sufficiently document the long-term safety and efficacy of laser-assisted hair removal.

Hair removal using the ruby laser: clinical efficacy in Fitzpatrick skin types I-V and histological changes in epidermal melanocytes.

The ruby laser is effective in removing unwanted body hair. The occurrence of cutaneous side-effects such as blistering, hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation, however, remains problematic. These side-effects are more commonly seen in patients with dark coloured skin, which partly explains the relative scarcity of information on the efficacy of ruby laser hair removal in such patients.

Hair removal using a long-pulsed alexandrite laser.

The use of lasers for hair depilation has become a common modality for physicians in the recent past. As new lasers are developed, the complex mechanisms affecting this form of treatment are now under close investigation. The long-pulsed alexandrite laser functioning at a wavelength of 755 nm has recently been added to the armamentarium of health care providers to assist patients with unwanted body hair.

Ruby laser-assisted hair removal success in relation to anatomic factors and melanin content of hair follicles.

Ruby laser-assisted hair removal is thought to work via selective photothermolysis, which relies on light reaching the deeper layers of skin, and the absorption of light by the target chromophore, melanin. It is therefore possible that efficacy of treatment is affected by anatomic factors that determine the amount of light reaching the hair bulbs (i.e.

A comparison of the long-pulse and short-pulse Alexandrite laser hair removal systems.

Laser-assisted hair removal has been reported previously with the Nd:YAG laser, the long-pulse ruby laser, the long-pulse Alexandrite laser, and the short-pulse Alexandrite laser. Results with all these lasers have been successful; however, it has been postulated that the long-pulse Alexandrite laser would have a lower complication rate and greater efficacy at identical fluences than the short-pulse Alexandrite laser. The authors chose to compare directly the pulsed Alexandrite lasers for speed of application, complications, and results.

Ruby laser-assisted hair removal: a preliminary report of the correlation between efficacy of treatment and melanin content of hair and the growth phases of hair at a specific site.

An unpredictable response, even in patients with dark hair, often undermines successful ruby laser hair removal. A prospective clinical study was carried out to evaluate the roles of melanin content and growth phases of hair in treatment efficacy. Thirty-six volunteers with white skin and dark hair were recruited for the study, and were all treated using the Chromos 694 Depilation Ruby Laser.

The effect of ruby laser light on ex vivo hair follicles: clinical implications.

Several clinical studies on the efficacy of ruby laser-assisted hair removal have reported that regrowth of hair after treatment is common. One of the reasons for the regrowth of hair is the incomplete destruction of germinative hair cells due to the insufficient penetration of the ruby laser in the skin. It was the aim of this study to estimate the extent of damage to the hair follicles after one ruby laser treatment and to determine whether the ruby laser destroyed the bulbs and the bulge regions of hair follicles.

Recalcitrant scarring follicular disorders treated by laser-assisted hair removal: a preliminary report.

Background: Recalcitrant scarring follicular disorders have been treated previously by removing hair follicles both surgically by scalp resection with skin grafting and with X-ray epilation. Laser-assisted hair removal may provide an alternate method of hair removal with less associated morbidity.

Objective: The goal is to determine whether laser-assisted hair removal can be used to treat follicular inflammatory disorders by destroying hair follicles.

A practical review of laser-assisted hair removal using the Q-switched Nd:YAG, long-pulsed ruby, and long-pulsed alexandrite lasers.

Background: The recent development of numerous laser-assisted hair removal techniques has produced confusion in the field of cutaneous laser surgery.

Objectives: A systematic review of the hair removal laser systems currently available is attempted. Appropriate patient selection, treatment protocols, and discussion of each system's advantages, disadvantages, and complications is provided.

Optimizing treatment parameters for hair removal using a topical carbon-based solution and 1064-nm Q-switched neodymium:YAG laser energy.

Objective: To determine the most effective treatment parameters for laser-assisted hair removal using a Q-switched neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser.

Design: Prospective study to determine the effectiveness of Q-switched ND:YAG laser-assisted hair removal under varying pretreatment protocols. Hair growth was assessed after laser treatment, and the results were compared with those of wax epilation at 4, 12, and 24 weeks.

Laser-assisted hair removal by selective photothermolysis. Preliminary results.

Background: Laser-assisted hair removal with the long pulsed ruby laser is a promising new technique based on selectively targeting melanin in hair follicles.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the long pulsed ruby laser (EpiTouch) for hair removal.

Methods: The Epitouch laser was used for hair removal of the arms of 20 patients.

Laser-assisted hair removal.

The use of lasers in the treatment of a number of different skin disorders and diseases has become commonplace. This tremendous acceptance by both physicians and patients is a direct reflection of the high degree of precision and selectivity provided by lasers, which helps to minimize the risk of side effects and complications while simultaneously maximizing the opportunity for obtaining a satisfactory outcome. In an attempt to remove unwanted or excess hair, the principles of selective photothermolysis have been employed with several different laser and light devices that permit the effective treatment of large areas of hair-bearing skin with minimal discomfort and with low risk of scarring or other complications.