Diode lasers and IPL are both highly effective treatment tools for permanent hair reduction with the diode laser showing increased efficacy over IPL but the downside of a more painful treatment. For “Photoepilation with a diode laser vs. intense pulsed light: a randomized, intrapatient left-to-right trial” (British Journal of Dermatology, June 2013). Researchers A Klein, et al, of the department of dermatology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany, treated unwanted axillary hair of 30 subjects with the Lumenis LightSheer XC diode system on one side and the Ellipse Flex PPT IPL device on the other. Each patient received six treatments performed at four-week intervals. Hair count was measured at baseline and three and 12 months post-treatment using closeup photography. Secondary endpoints included patient-rated efficacy, treatment-related pain, adverse events and treatment duration.
The study revealed that both devices significantly reduced hair counts. Mean reductions from baseline were 59.7% at three months and 69.2% at 12 months for the diode laser and 42.4% and 52.7% for IPL treatment. The diode laser treatment induced significantly more pain [3.7 ± 2.1 (DL) vs. 1.6 ± 1.4 (IPL); P < 0·01; visual analogue scale] but the treatment could be performed more quickly [33.1 ± 3.8 s (DL) vs. 40.1 ± 5.0 s (IPL); P < 0·01]. No severe side effects were reported for either therapy.
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