www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 1907 follicular canal, dehydrate, and form the growing shaft. The visible hair shaft is composed of an outer cuticle, the cortex and, sometimes, a core of compact, keratinized cells, all of which are made of protein. Hairs that are in the anagen phase during removal are more sensitive to the various treatment modalities than hairs in the telogen phase....

Sir, Lumbosacral hypertrichosis is an uncommon occurrence that constitutes a significant cosmetic problem. Treatment with electrolysis is difficult and surgical excision seems to be the only permanent option. Surgery carries the risk of significant scarring and electrolysis is often impractical where a large area is affected. Recently, long-term hair removal using normal-mode ruby laser has bee...

BACKGROUND Unwanted hair growth remains a therapeutic challenge and there is a considerable need for an effective and safe treatment modality. OBJECTIVE From an evidence-based view to summarize efficacy and adverse effects from hair removal with ruby, alexandrite, diode, and Nd:YAG lasers and intense pulsed light (IPL). METHODS Original publications of controlled clinical trials were identi...

BACKGROUND Laser hair removal is an effective and safe method for the permanent reduction of unwanted hair. Common side effects include temporary pain, transient erythema, and perifollicular edema. Purpuric eruption is a rare adverse event. CASE PRESENTATION To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case report of purpura induced by laser hair removal. Our patient is a 50-year-old woma...

Hirsutism is a common disorder affecting between 5 and 15% of the population. One of the most devastating consequences of hirsutism is the presence of unwanted facial hair. Treatment of hirsutism involves a two-pronged approach: treating the underlying cause and reduction of visible hair. Laser hair removal is one of the most effective options for reducing visible hair, however, it may not be w...

Background: The need for a rapid, non-invasive method for unwanted hair removal has led to the development of various light sources for this purpose. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Intense Pulsed Light Source (IPLS) on unwanted hairs. Patients and Methods: In this open, uncontrolled clinical trial, 77 different anatomical areas in 34 referred patients to “Novin Didegan Clinic” in Tehran...

Eflornithine 11.5% cream is an effective treatment for unwanted facial hair (UFH) in women with the effect on facial hair growth starting to be seen from 1 month after treatment initiation. TrichoScan is a validated method of assessing hair length, thickness, density, and growth rate using contact skin microscopy. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of eflornithine cream in women with UFH,...

Despite the variations of length and type of hair (vellus or terminal), the growth of human hair in all body sites is cyclic. Phases of active hair growth, or anagen, are separated by periods of quiescence, or telogen. The duration of both phases varies greatly depending on the body site. Whether hairs are in anagen/telogen at the time of hair removal is important because only anagen hairs are ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a home-use hair removal diode laser (TRIA Beauty, Inc., Dublin, CA) in a multiple treatment regimen. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirteen indicated adults with naturally brown or black hair and Fitzpatrick skin type I-IV received 8 monthly treatments with the diode laser at three fluences, with a fourth area left untreate...

BACKGROUND Photothermal destruction of hair shaft melanin with intense pulsed light (IPL) and neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser has become an effective treatment of hair removal. AIMS Our aim was to compare efficacy, satisfactory levels, safety, and side effects of Nd:YAG and IPL in hair reduction. METHODS This was a prospective randomized intrapatient, right-left, assessor-b...