Isotretinoin, Dark Skin Not a Hair Removal Barrier

KISSIMMEE, FLA. — Dark-skinned patients who undergo hair removal with a 1,064-nm Nd:YAG laser while taking isotretinoin do not appear to experience any long-term complications, according to a retrospective study of 11 patients.

The near-infrared wavelength of the Nd:YAG laser is absorbed less efficiently by epidermal melanin than with some other lasers, Dr. Khalil A. Khatri said in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.

The patients in the study underwent Nd:YAG laser (Cutera CoolGlide) treatments with a pulse duration of 10–30 milliseconds, a spot size of 10 mm, and a repetition rate of 2 Hz. Laser fluence ranged from 30 to 55 J/cm

The patients stopped taking isotretinoin for 3 days before and after each laser hair removal treatment to reduce the severity of retinoid dermatitis. After 131 laser hair removal treatments, the patients—all of whom were taking isotretinoin for severe acne—had moderate erythema and perifollicular edema. No patients experienced vesiculation, scarring, or permanent pigmentary changes during follow-up visits, which occurred at intervals of 4, 10, or 12 weeks, he reported.

Only one patient with Fitzpatrick type V skin developed discrete crusting, which resulted in a slight hyperpigmentation that spontaneously resolved in 3 months, after the last and most intense treatment with the highest fluence used, noted Dr. Khatri, who has no financial interest in the products used in the study.