Effective treatment of hypertrichosis with pulsed light: a report of two cases

Hypertrichosis is an often stigmatizing cosmetic problem not only for women but also for male-to-female transsexual patients. The hitherto described therapeutic measures include chemical epilation, razoring, camouflage, electrolysis and thermolysis, and waxing. All of these measures are transient, more or less painful, and may lead to severe side effects (e.g., inflammatory responses and scarring). We report the successful treatment of the perioral and mandibular area of two transsexual patients (male to female), who we treated with a recently introduced intense, pulsed light source--the PhotoDerm VL. Two days after the nearly painless treatment, hair could be epilated easily with forceps. Biopsies of the treated area show an atrophy of the follicles, which can be contributed either to direct thermal injury or to an indirect photothermolytical effect. Six months after the last treatment, there is no local recurrence and no side effects.