A gender-based comparison of pain tolerance during pulsed dye laser therapy

Abstract

Background: Cosmetic laser treatments are frequently performed without anesthesia in the clinic setting and there is a need to better understand the factors that may impact patient pain levels during these procedures. There has been prior research suggesting that there are significant gender-based differences in pain experiences with a variety of interventions. Aims: We sought to examine the influence of gender and specific emotional factors on pain perception during pulsed dye laser treatments. Patients/Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based study of 84 adult patients (42 males and 42 females) who underwent facial pulsed dye laser treatments in our clinic for cosmetic purposes. Questionnaires were completed by each patient after his or her initial laser treatment and patients were queried as to their perceived levels of pain during the procedure. Additional information regarding quality of life measures and patient motivation was also collected. Results: Contrary to prior research suggesting lower pain thresholds for women in other clinical or experimental settings, we found no statistically significant differences in mean pain levels reported between patients of each gender. There was a trend toward females being somewhat more likely than males to see the pain of the treatment as justified for an improvement in appearance. Conclusions: Patient motivation and pain tolerance levels may be similar between genders among patients undergoing non-invasive cosmetic procedures. Clinicians may, therefore, expect patients of either gender to tolerate such treatments equally well.