Assessment of laser therapy on the quality of life in patients with hirsutism using the dermatology life quality index

Background: Hirsutism is defined as the presence of terminalhairs with a male-like pattern in women, due to the increasedlevels of androgens or increased responses of the target organs toandrogens. Facial hirsutism has a negative effect on the quality oflife in female patients. Among the many therapeutic modalitiesfor hirsutism, laser therapy is of great acceptability. The longpulse Alexandrite laser, diode laser, and Nd:YAG laser are themost commonly used lasers in the treatment of hirsutism. In thisstudy, we assessed the effect of laser therapy on the quality oflife of the patients with hirsutism, using the Dermatology LifeQuality Index (DLQI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS).Method: Forty-two female patients with idiopathic hirsutism,ranging from 18 to 34 years old, were studied during a courseof laser therapy lasting for at least 4 months for up to 3 courses.Each patient completed a DLQI and VAS questionnaire beforeand after treatment. The VAS questionnaire was also filled outby the dermatologist.Result: Following laser therapy, the average DLQI score,decreased by 10 points (a statistically significant difference withp- value<0.001). VAS also declined and there was a moderate togood correlation between the VAS scores given by the patientand the dermatologist.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that laser therapy improvedthe quality of life in patients with hirsutism.