Introduction: Diode laser and intense pulsed light are among the most frequently used technologies for epilation.
Objective: To compare diode laser with intense pulsed light in axillary epilation.
Methods: Patients with phototypes II and III (n = 15) were subjected to 3 regular sessions of intense pulsed light (695 nm) - Quantum HR® Platform (Lumenis,Yokneam, Israel) in the right axilla and diode laser (810 nm) - Light Sheer ® (Lumenis,Yokneam, Israel) in the left axilla. The number of axillary hairs were counted before and after treatment, and patients were administered a questionnaire about adverse effects, pain and satisfaction.
Results: Both techniques provided a similar and significant reduction in hair density.The pain score and degree of inflammation were significantly higher for intense pulsed light (p < 0.01 and p = 0.03, respectively).There was a significant correlation between the fluence employed, the severity of pain, and the degree of inflammation for the two techniques (p < 0.05).The patients considered the final results to be similar, however more side effects were attributed to intense pulsed light.There was no difference in the proportion of preference between the two methods (p = 0.80).
Conclusion: The two techniques produced similar results, but the diode laser caused less pain and fewer side effects compared to intense pulsed light.

Keywords: HAIR REMOVAL, HAIR, LASERS

Introduction: The use of exogenous pigmentation as an adjuvant therapy to Intense Pulsed Light in the treatment of melanoses is routine, nevertheless there is an absence of published comparative studies. Objective: To compare Intense Pulsed Light therapy in isolation, or combined with exogenous pigmentation in the treatment of solar lentigines on the dorsum of the hands. Methods: Twenty women (mean age = 56.5 years) with skin types from I to III, underwent three sessions of Intense Pulsed Light, with a brown makeup pencil pigment reinforcement being applied to the lesions on the right hand. The patients were queried about the degree of discomfort, swelling, crusting, and improvement experienced, their treatment of preference and which they felt provided greater effectiveness, and the incidence of side effects. Results: When assessing all three of the treatment sessions together, the median discomfort score, as well as the degree of inflammation and crusting (p < 0.01), were higher on the right hand. Regarding the subjective impression of the final result, 15 in 20 patients preferred the technique applied on the right hand, considering it more effective (p < 0.01). Eleven in 20 patients reported fewer side effects in the un-pigmented side (p = 0.12). The degree of discomfort did not correlate significantly with the preferred technique (p = 0.67). Conclusions: In this sample, there was a preference for the method with the adjuvant use of exogenous pigmentation, however the incidence of pain and side effects was higher in this group.

Keywords: MELANOSIS, HAND, PIGMENTATION, LIGHT