Transcript Overview of Clinical Studies On Laser Hair Removal

Overview of Clinical Studies
On Laser Hair Removal
By: Vickie L. Mickey, CT,CLHRP
Simulated Consumer Use of a
Battery Hand-Held Portable Diode
Laser for Hair Removal
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Conducted by Ronald Wheeland, MD
University of Missouri – Columbia
Study was designed to determine safety,
efficacy and ease of use
Study designed with a treatment group
of 77 appropriate users and 44
inappropriate users
Results:
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61% hair reduction
treatment
70% hair reduction
60% hair reduction
treatment
41% hair reduction
31% hair reduction
treatment
after 3 weeks first
after second treatment
1 month after third
third treatment
9 months after third
Conclusions
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Laser highly effective at hair removal
Minimal side effects w/appropriate use
Contract sponsor : Spectra Genics, Inc.
Published July 23, 2007 Wiley Interscience
Hair Removal With 755 nm Lasers:
Long Term Results 8.5 Years
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Study conducted by: Gabriel Buendia, Eva
Ciscar, Katharina Usse-Wilfinger
Method – Study 668 patients treated in 2
cities in Barcelona, Spain and Innsbruck,
Austria
Method Cont:
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1 – 2 body parts treated including axilla,
bikini, legs, back
755 nm Alexandrite laser
16 – 25 J/cm2
7 – 15 mm spot size
10 – 40 ms pulse duration
Epidermal cooling on all procedures
Results:
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1009 sites treated
100% reduction in 899 sites
98 sites presented less hair reduction
12 patients did not respond
82% reduction in facial areas
17% unstable reduction
1% did not respond
Results cont.
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93% reduction in bikini area
5% unstable
2% did not respond
Conclusions
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The alexandrite long pulsed 755nm lasers
are effective in long term hair reduction or
even permanent hair removal.
Clinical Comparison of Four Hair
Removal Lasers and Light Sources
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Shehal P. Amin & David J. Goldberg
Skin Laser and Surgery Specialist of NY &
NJ
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New
York, NY USA
Abstract/ Background and
Objectives:
There are few clinical studies that directly
compare the efficacy of multiple hair
removal system in the same individual.
This study comparison evaluates the
efficacy of four highly popular systems for
laser hair removal.
Method:
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10 subjects underwent unwanted hair removal
on back & thighs
Skin types I- III
Ages 18 – 55 years
Treated twice with:
Intense pulsed light with red filter
Intense pulsed light with yellow filter
810 nm diode
755nm alexandrite laser
Method Cont:
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4 treatment areas
Commonly accepted parameters for
permanent hair reduction
Non-treated areas/Marked treatment areas
Hair count camera used @ 1, 3, & 6
months, after second treatment
Clinical results & adverse events were
noted
Methods Cont:
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All light sources/lasers were FDA approved
Results:
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Photographs revealed significant decrease
in hair counts (-50%) and (-55%) hair
coverage
Remaining hair after two treatments
presented no statistical difference in hair
length or diameter
No statistical difference in efficacy
between the four different light devices
Results cont:
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Minimal transient effects were noted from
all systems
Cryogen spray-based alexandrite laser
showed highest pain scores
Conclusion:
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Hair removal with the commonly used
systems is as expected highly effective
Treatment with light-based devices can
cause less pain, yet show efficacy similar
to laser systems
Patient Reported Pain Scores
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IPL I Palomar
Mean pain score 3.4
IPL II Palomar Mean pain score 2.1
810 nm Lumenis diode laser- Mean pain
score 2.3
755 nm Candela alexandrite laser-Mean
pain score 4.1
Blond Hair Removal Using ELOS
Systems
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Careen A. Schroeter, Sapna Sharma, Ngozi C.
Mbonu, Thorsten Reineke & Herman A. M.
Neumann
Department of Lasertherapy, Medical Center
Maastricht, The Netherlands, Department of
Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology,
University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, &
Department of Dermatology and Verereology
Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The
Netherlands
Abstract/Objective:
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Study was conducted to test blond hair
removal using the ELOS system, which is
optical energy and radio-frequency
combined
Study Date December 2005: accepted
January 26, 2006
Methods:
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17 patients with blond hair were randomly
selected from the Department of
Lasertherapy, Medical Center Maastrichtm
The Netherlands.
Mean age was 57.4 years
Mean energy used per patient was 23.2
j/cm2 with mean radio-frequency 18.6
j/cm2
Results:
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57.4% hair reduction obtained with mean
8.5 treatments
A trend was found between hair removal
and the number of treatments
No correlation between the percentage of
hair removal and age and technical data of
device
No major side effects observed
postoperatively
Introduction
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Hair removal options vary in efficacy,
degree of discomfort, and cost
Common methods are: plucking, shaving,
mechanical and chemical dermabrasion
Methods are less expensive yet temporary
Long term methods are: needle epilation,
surgical epilation, laser epilation and
intense pulse light source
Introduction Cont.:
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Management of hirsutism remains
challenging to dermatologists & cosmetic
surgeons world wide
Search for a method that will give
enduring results with minimum side
effects has been on going for years
Hair growth cycles, stages of growth, color
or hair, areas of hair growth are all factors
in resolving this dilemma
Introduction cont.:
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Methods of hair removal all have their distinct set of
advantages and disadvantages
Increased demand for safe and effective hair removal
IPL and laser technology promise rapid results and is
effective
Lasers can treat hundreds of hairs simultaneously in
comparison to electrolysis
Gorgu et al concluded that laser hair removal is more
expensive than electrolysis but 60 times faster and less
painful
Fewer sessions are needed with laser vs. electrolysis
with better results
Introduction cont.:
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Light skin with dark hair responds best to
laser or light based hair removal
Light colored hair is more difficult to treat
with lasers or LPL
Laser hair removal is based on photothermolysis and thermal relaxation time
Initial studies indicated that all lasers
caused a delay in growth of hair after a
single treatment
Introduction cont.:
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The concept of photo-thermolysis with laser light
was first described by Kuriloff in 1988 for
pharyngo-oesophageal hair growth
The argon laser was used for photo-epilation in
the treatment of trachomatous trichiasis
Nd:Yag laser for epilaton of hair bearing urethral
grafts in 1992 & 1994
Dr. Jeffrey used the ruby laser for epilation of
the hair follicle in 1989
Introduction cont.:
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Dr. Zaias proposed the concept of a
pulsed laser for hair removal in 1991
Increasing numbers of published studies
confirm the long-term efficacy of laser and
flashlamp technology
Laser and ILP still have limitations in
regards to the hair removal with concerns
to lighter hair
Introduction cont.:
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The side effects of the ILP and laser remain
constant today in regards to pain and
complications.
The second generations of the IPL are more
effective in hair removal however use by a
skilled practitioners is necessary as to the
difficulty in the use of the device
A novel method to surmount the restrictions of
light-based hair removal is the ELOS technology
or Electro-Optical Synergy
ELOS – The Aurora DS
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Delivers a combination of radio-frequency and a pulse of
red to infrared light to achieve the heating required for
selective thermal energy
Energy delivered to the skin from the RF is independent
of skin color and there is no epidermal barrier to
absorption as with optical energy
This deliver prevents overheating of surrounding tissues.
Skin is pre-cooled and the target is selectively preheated by application of a low-fluence optical pulse.
The RF energy increases the difference in temperature
between the epidermis and the target, this combination
of RF and optical enables coagulation level with low risk
ELOS – Cont.:
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Few studies have been conducted
regarding the ELOS
Dr. Neil Sadick conducted a studies in
2004 using the ELOS system observed an
average of 48% hair removal in 18
months
Slightly higher results with blond hair
(52%) vs. (44%) white hair
Discussion of Study
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This study found consistent results with
Dr. Sadick’s studies
RF has been used for over a century to
treat the hair follicle, however the thermal
effect is not conducted well in the hair
shaft
Electrical current created between the
electrodes streams is concentrate in layer
of 20 – 40 microns around the hair
Discussion Cont.:
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The bulge area is important as well as the hair
follicle in regards to hair regrowth
Studies have shown that hair can regenerate
from totally follicle-free skin
RF does not need a chromophore to effectively
treat the hair follicle
RF properties permit negligible reflection or
scattering of energy
Light energies require a chromophore in the skin
and permits scattering of energies.
Discussion cont.:
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RF requires a conductive media (water) to
RF enables a direct measure of the current
and voltage on the electrodes delivered to
the skin
This study shows advances in technology
for hair removal, however further research
with greater numbers is advised
Conclusion
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The ELOS system can be effectively used
in reduction of blond hair.