HOME-BASED LASER DEVICES. EFFICACY AND SAFETY

Abstract

BACKGROUND Home-based light and laser devices are effective for the treatment of various dermatological problems OBJECTIVES To systematically review and evaluate the efcacy and safety of commercially available home-based laser devices for various dermatological applications METHOD A comprehensive literature search was performed on Google Scholar and PubMed. Prospective clinical trials were included, while animal studies, non-English articles, and studies that did not focus on home use or dermatological indication were excluded. A total of 675 articles were identied regarding home use devices. After screening the articles for inclusion and exclusion criteria, 44 studies involving 1,951 participants were selected, including 21 randomized control trials, 5 non-randomized controlled trials, and 18 case series. RESULTS There was signicantly more evidence for the safety or efcacy of Intense pulse light, but this study focused on using home-based laser devices. Most studies evaluated short-term hair reduction up to 3 and 6 months. Devices were found to be effective for short-term hair removal, with side effects ranging from erythema and edema to blisters. The use of laser for skin rejuvenation is based on the fact that laser-treated areas can have islands of healthy skin left behind, which accelerate recovery. Patients who underwent treatment in a recent prospective, split-face study were evaluated by a blinded dermatologist and showed at least a 1-point improvement in wrinkles, dyschromia, and diffuse redness in 75% of participants Low-level laser therapy stimulates hair growth. Patients who used the device for 15 minutes per week for 26 weeks demonstrated signicant improvement in mean terminal hair density and overall hair growth compared to the control group. CONCLUSION Available information from current clinical trials indicates that home-based laser devices are adequate for the short treatment of hair removal, skin rejuvenation, and hair removal. Additional controlled trials are recommended to better quantify the safety and efcacy of available devices.