Intense pulsed light treatment of hirsutism: case reports of skin phototypes V and VI.

Abstract

Removal of unwanted hair is a common cosmetic concern. For hirsute women, treatment often requires drug therapy and various methods to physically remove the hair. Traditional methods of hair removal include shaving, waxing, tweezing, depilatory creams and electrolysis. Hair removal methods based on light technology, such as lasers and intense pulsed light systems, are alternative methods for longer-term hair removal. Intense pulsed light has been used in our clinic during the past 2 years to treat light-to-dark skinned patients, including skin types V and VI. We present here the treatment, using an intense pulsed light source, of three dark skinned patients with hirsutism. Patients were treated during multiple sessions (five to seven) for unwanted facial hair. Sessions were conducted monthly and patients were evaluated at follow-up sessions 2-7 months after the final treatment. Successful clearance of unwanted hair was achieved in all three patients with no pigmentary changes observed during the final follow-up sessions. Folliculitis and hyperpigmentation from tweezing were also treated by the intense pulsed light source. These results suggest that intense pulsed light is an effective source for hair removal and may, with proper parameter selection, be useful in the treatment of very dark skin types.