At The Angel Laser Clinic, mid-way between the tube stations of Highbury & Islington and Angel, we use the Alexandrite Laser for people with skin types I-III. There have been many studies into how effective and safe laser hair removal treatments are using the Alexandrite laser and here are two representative investigations.
Clinical Studies into the 755nm Alexandrite Laser
A clinical study into the long term effectiveness of laser hair removal using the 755nm Alexandrite laser was conducted in Barcelona and Innsbruck. It was reported in April 2007 in The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery Abstracts. Gabriel Buendia, Eva Ciscar and Katharina Russe-Wilflingseder ran the investigation. The study covered 668 patients and a selection of treatment areas, so 1,009 treatment sites in total. The body areas included the face, underarms, bikini area and back. An average of three treatments was given to each treatment site.
Results were assessed 8 years after the conclusion of the treatment with the patients’ opinions requested as to whether their hair reduction was stable or unstable. 89% of clients said their hair reduction was stable, 10% unstable and 1% didn’t answer. Even more impressively, 93% of respondents said hair reduction in their bikini areas was stable.
In a separate study, N. Nicolaou and G.Katugampola from the Department of Dermatology at the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend, U.K. examined how effective laser hair removal is using the 755nm Alexandrite Laser. They carried out a retrospective study in which a questionnaire was given to 187 patients (125 responded). The aim was to evaluate their satisfaction, adverse effects and discomfort. Patients who had laser hair removal between March 2001 and April 2004 were sent questionnaires to record their age, sex, skin type, area treated, the number of treatments and their satisfaction on a scale of 1-5. They were also asked to record any adverse effects they had noticed following the procedure, along with their duration. Lastly, they were asked if they would consider the same procedure again and if they would recommend it to others.
All patients were treated with Cynosure 755 nm Alexandrite laser using a 12.5 mm spot size. Pulse width and fluence depended on the patient’s skin pigmentation and hair thickness. The Smartcool system was used for epidermal cooling.
Results of Laser Hair Removal using the Alexandrite Laser
The results were as follows in terms of patient satisfaction: excellent (34.4%); very good (29.6%); good (24%); poor (12%). 92.8% of patients said they would return for treatment should it be required in the future, in addition to recommending the procedure to others.
Patients reported that skin reactions after treatment did not last longer than 24-48 hours.
The conclusion of the study therefore was that the 755nm Alexandrite laser was very suitable for long term hair reduction or even permanent hair removal on white skin.