- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Herbal Remedy Could Halt Peanut Allergy
- Overweight Moms More Likely to Have Asthmatic Kids
- Air Pollution May Raise Blood Pressure
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Garlic Yields Up Its Health Secret
- Taking the Mystery Out of Hypnotherapy
- Naprapathy: A Hands-On Approach to Pain Management
- ANIMAL CARE
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- BONES & JOINTS
- In Elderly Women, Hip Fractures Often Follow Arm Breaks
- Backpack Safety Should Be on Back-to-School Lists
- Returning to the Road Tricky After Injury
- CANCER
- Red Meat No No No But Oily Fish Yes Yes Yes
- Physical Activity May Prolong Survival After Colon Cancer
- Occaisonal Dieting May Cut Breast Cancer, Study Says
- CAREGIVING
- Diabetes Epidemic Now Poses Challenges for Nursing Homes
- With Alzheimer's, Health-Care Costs Could Triple
- Children's Bath Products Contain Contaminants
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Night Shift Work Hard on the Heart
- Salt Boosts Blood Pressure in High-Risk Patients
- Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure
- COSMETIC
- Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Gum Care Helps Control Type 2 Diabetes and Its Complications
- Gum Disease Treatment Doesn't Cut Preterm Birth Risk
- Laser Technology Spots Cavities Before They Start
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- Drug May Not Help Diabetes-Related Eye Damage
- DIET, NUTRITION
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- Is Your Refrigerator Getting Enough Attention For Your Raw Food Success?
- Regular Yoga May Improve Eating Habits
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- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Artificial Light Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk
- Stomach Germ May Protect Against Asthma
- Air Pollution Exposure May Slow Fetal Growth
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Impotence Drugs Don't Harm Vision: Study
- Stem Cells Repair Damaged Corneas in Mice
- Time Teaches Brain to Recognize Objects
- FITNESS
- Marathoners Go the Distance on Heart Health
- Diet, Exercise May Slow Kidney Disease Progression
- MRSA Infections Can Bug Fitness Buffs
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- New Yogurt May Ease Stomach Ulcers
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Heal Your Life® Tips for Living Well
- U.S. Spends Billions On Alternative Medicine
- The Brain Comes Alive With the Sounds of Music
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Polyunsaturated Fats Really May Lower Heart Risk
- Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart
- Research Shows Genetic Activity of Antioxidants
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Poor Restroom Cleaning Causes Cruise-Ship Sickness
- Swine Flu Loves a Crowd
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- KID'S HEALTH
- Scorpion Anti-Venom Speeds Children's Recovery
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- Fussy Babys Could Be Out Of Your Control
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Drinking Green Tea May Slow Prostate Cancer
- Physical Activity May Prolong Survival After Colon Cancer
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Fear Response May Stem From Protein in Brain
- Optimism May Boost Immune System
- Bullying Seems to Affect Kids Years Later
- PREGNANCY
- For Baby and Mom Alike, Breast-Feeding May Be Best
- Woman in America Are Delaying Motherhood, Study Says
- Obesity May Affect Fertility in Young Womene
- SENIORS
- Friends, Not Grandkids, Key to Happy Retirement
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- Healthy Diet Could Cut Alzheimer's Disease Risk
Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
By eHolistic.com Published: 10/20/2008
MONDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Laser therapies to remove unwanted hair may be safer and more effective when used separately rather than in combination, according to an Iranian study.
The researchers at the Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences in Tehran compared the removal of hair on the legs of 15 people using either long-pulsed 755-nanometer alexandrite lasers (12- and 18-millimeter spot sizes), long-pulsed 1,064 nanometer Nd:YAG laser (12-millimeter spot size), or a combination of alexandrite and Nd:YAG 12-millimeter spot size lasers.
The participants received a total of four treatment sessions at eight-week intervals. Average hair density was measured with a hair counting device and special software, and hair reduction was assessed by comparing digital photographs taken before treatment and at eight- and 18-month follow-up sessions.
Average hair reductions 18 months after final treatment were 75.9 percent for the 12-millimeter spot size alexandrite laser, 84.3 percent for the 18-millimeter spot size alexandrite laser, 73.6 percent for the Nd:YAG laser, and 77.8 percent for the combination therapy.
Leg areas that received the alexandrite laser treatments had higher average pain severity than those treated with the Nd:YAG laser. The highest amount of pain occurred in areas that received the combination treatment. Those areas were also most likely to have hyperpigmentation (dark spots on the skin).
"Despite other studies showing more efficacy of the alexandrite rather than the Nd:YAG laser, our trial results showed no significant difference between them," the study authors concluded. "The use of alexandrite or Nd:YAG laser systems alone for at least four treatments sessions and with eight-week intervals have long-term persistent efficacy in hair reduction with acceptable and transient adverse effects."
The study was published in the October issue of the Archives of Dermatology.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about excess hair growth and removal.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: JAMA/Archives journals, news release, Oct. 20, 2008
Last Updated: Oct. 20, 2008
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