Comparing treatment outcomes between physician and nurse treated patients in laser hair removal.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were differences in outcome between patients treated by a trained physician and patients treated by a trained, supervised nurse. A total of 100 patients were treated for unwanted body hair using the Cynosure long-pulsed alexandrite laser: 50 patients were treated by a physician and 50 by a nurse. The measured average reduction in hair counts was 74 +/- 8% in the physician-treated group and 70 +/- 6% in the nurse-treated group (NS). Transient skin changes (i.e. pigmentation changes and blistering) were comparable between the two groups. Patient satisfaction measured by an assessment scale of 1 (excellent) to 5 (poor) was 1.6 +/- 0.3 and 1.4 +/- 0.3 in the physician- and nurse-treated groups respectively (NS). Using treatment efficacy, complication rate, and patient satisfaction as variables, this study concluded that properly trained physicians and nurses achieved parallel results in laser hair removal.