Effectiveness of short‐pulse width Nd: YAG in laser hair reduction

Summary Introduction Laser hair reduction ( LHR ) is a safe and effective way of reducing unwanted hairs over body. Long‐pulse Nd: YAG laser has over the years, been proven to be particularly safe and effective in darker skin types. While conventionally, long‐pulse Nd: YAG laser has been used, recently short‐pulse width Nd: YAG laser of 0.6‐1.6 ms which is 10‐50 times less than the standard method (long‐pulse) of Nd: YAG LHR , has become available. Objectives To study the effectiveness of short‐pulse width Nd: YAG laser in LHR in Indian patients. Material and methods This was a prospective observational study conducted over a period of 1 year. Fifty female patients with fitzpatrick skin type 3‐5 were included. Patients underwent four sessions of LHR , with an interval of 6 weeks and then follow up was done for 6 months after the last session. Results The mean age of patient was 29.92 years ranging from 17 to 48 years. After finishing four sessions of LHR procedure 58%, 34%, 6%, and 2% of the patients showed excellent, good, moderate, and poor improvement respectively. No complications were seen during the treatment and after follow‐up. Statistical analysis by paired t test showed the results to be statistically significant. Conclusion Hair reduction using unique short‐pulse width Nd: YAG laser is easy to use, safe, and effective in Indian skin.