Long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser and intense pulse light therapy for idiopathic facial hirsutism. A comparative study

Background lasers including nd:yag and intense pulse light are increasingly being used for the treatment of facial hirsutism. objective the purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of long-pulsed nd:yag laser and ipl in the treatment of idiopathic facial hirsutism. patients and methods 100 patients of idiopathic facial hirsutism were included in the study. 50 were treated with long-pulsed nd:yag laser (group a) and 50 were treated with ipl (group b). the starting fluence and pulse duration were determined according to the skin type. they were treated at 4-6 weeks interval for six treatments. the two groups were compared for efficacy and safety at the end of treatment. efficacy was graded according to a 4-point scale from excellent to poor. results at the end of six treatments 20% of patients in group a and 30% in group b exhibited excellent i.e. >75% hair reduction whereas 58% and 62% patients in groups a and b, respectively showed fair improvement i.e. 50-75% hair reduction. the two groups did not differ in terms of side effects. immediate perifollicular erythema and edema were immediate side effects in both groups. transient post-inflammatory pigmentation was observed in 45% and 60% of patients in groups a and b, respectively. conclusion long-pulsed nd:yag laser and ipl both are effective and safe methods for the treatment of idiopathic facial hirsutism