Trichoscopic changes in hair during treatment of hirsutism with 1064-nm neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser.

Abstract

Laser hair removal has become an accepted form of long-term hair reduction and is now one of the most common dermatologic procedures. Trichoscan is a validated method of assessing hair length, thickness, and density and growth rate using dermoscopy. The study aimed to evaluate the trichoscopic changes during treatment of hirsutism with 1064-nm neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser. Seventy patients with idiopathic facial hirsutism referring to the laser centers of Al-Azhar University hospital (Asyut and Cairo) between December 2012 and October 2014 were enrolled in this open-label, multicentric study. All participants received six sessions of 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser at 4-week intervals. Mean hair density/cm(2) , percentage of terminal/vellus hair ratio, and hair thickness (mm) were assessed at baseline and 1month after each session for six sessions using trichoscan. Seventy female patients completed the study protocol. At the final visit, mean hair density, terminal/vellus hair ratio, and hair thickness were significantly decreased from baseline (73.7+20.6, 72.5+14.7, 0.095+0.02, respectively) to (19.4+5.6, 21.3+5.2, 0.02±0.007, respectively) (P<0.05 for each). One thousand and sixty-four-nm Nd:YAG laser is an effective and safe method in the reduction of unwanted facial hair. Trichoscan is an easy and more accurate method in monitoring the treatment of hair disorders.