Patient satisfaction and complications following laser hair removal in ethnic skin.

BACKGROUND: Laser hair removal (LHR) is increasingly popular for the treatment of unwanted hair. To date, there have been few studies to evaluate patient satisfaction and complications after LHR among people of color.

OBJECTIVES: To determine patient satisfaction and complications with long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser assisted hair removal in dark-complexioned skin individuals from the patient's point of view.

PATIENTS/METHODS: A survey questionnaire was administered to subjects with Fitzpatrick skin type VI between the ages of 21-70 years who had been treated with long-pulsed Nd:YAG for unwanted hair. Questions were comprised of those related to satisfaction and complications from treatment with LHR. Satisfaction was recorded on a linear analogue scale (LAS=not at all satisfied; 100=extremely satisfied).

RESULTS: Fifty patients (female 41, male 9) completed the survey. All patients were satisfied with Nd:YAG LHR treatment with the mean satisfaction score of 84.2. All patients favor LHR treatment as compared to alternative methods. The majority of patients (79.3%) who had completed six or more LHR treatments were removing their hair less frequently than before LHR treatment. Hyperpigmentation after treatment was noted in three patients (6%), which lasted for 3-10 days. No hypopigmentation, blistering, or scarring was observed. All patients completing the study would recommend LHR for patients with unwanted hair with the mean recommendation score of 91.5.

CONCLUSIONS: Nd:YAG laser-assisted hair removal gives a high rate of patient satisfaction in terms of hair reduction with minimal complication among subjects of color.