Efficacy and safety of diode laser for facial hair reduction in hirsutism—a clinico-trichoscopic evaluation

Hirsutism is the presence of excessive terminal hair on androgen-dependent sites of the body. Lasers like Alexandrite, diode, and Nd:Yag lasers have been used for hair reduction with varying efficacy. Trichoscopy of hair is a simple noninvasive method of hair assessment. However, it has not been used in the assessment of diode laser hair reduction. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of diode laser hair reduction in skin color with the help of clinical and trichoscopic assessment. This prospective observational study included 73 patients of hirsutism recruited in 18-month period. All participants received sessions of 805nm diode laser at monthly intervals up to six sessions. Clinical and trichoscopic evaluation along with photographs were obtained at each visit. Side effects, if any, were noted in every sitting. All patients were females of Fitzpatrick skin types III–V. All clinical parameters showed statistically significant hair reduction when compared with baseline. Trichoscopic parameters of hair reduction like total hair count, terminal hair count, and terminal/vellus hair ratio showed reduction compared to baseline which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The most common side effect noted in our study was pain followed by erythema and perifollicular edema. Diode laser is an effective and safe procedure for the reduction of unwanted facial hair, even in darker skin types. We also wish to emphasize that trichoscopy for the assessment of laser hair reduction is a recent, noninvasive, simple, and underutilized tool. No serious adverse events were noted in our study.