Softening up the Hairline after a Hair Transplant: A Look at Nd Yag Laser as an OPtion

Options for Female Patients with Unnaturally Thick Hairlines after Surgery

I was really interested to read a study by Park and colleagues of 24 female who underwent laser therapy with a long-pulse Neodymium-Doped:Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (NG-YAG) laser after hair transplantation in order to “soften” the hairline and make it look more natural. Many times after surgery transplanted grafts are just too thick and give an unnatural look.

Park et al 2015

Twenty-four women who received long-pulse Nd-YAG laser after transplant surgery were included in the study. The parameters of the laser were documented as follows: delivered laser energy, 35~36 J/cm2; pulse duration, 6 ms; and spot size, 10 mm. The mean number of laser sessions was 2.6.

All in all, results showed that the mean hair diameter significantly decreased from 80.0±11.5 µm to 58.4±13.2 µm. Patients who have more laser sessions have greater reductions in hair diameter. Most of the patients (87.5%) reported subjective improvement of their hairlines. Most complications were transient and mild but included hair loss and folliculitis.

Nice hairline softening results in a patient who received ND-YAG laser therapy to soften the hairline after hair transplant surgery. FROM Park HS. Alternative Method for Creating Fine Hairs with Hair Removal Laser in Hair Transplantation for Hairline Correction. Ann Dermatol. 2015 Feb; 27(1): 21–25. Published online 2015 Feb 3. Used with creative commons license.

Comment

This is a really interesting study. I think it will be helfpul to repeat this study in many skin types. The Park et al study from South Korea so we will want to determine if similar reduction in caliber and similar results are obtained in other skin types. In addition, this was a study of patients not only many medications so we’ll need to figure out if patients who use various medications in the general population achieve similar results

REFERENCE

Park HS. Alternative Method for Creating Fine Hairs with Hair Removal Laser in Hair Transplantation for Hairline Correction. Ann Dermatol. 2015 Feb; 27(1): 21–25. Published online 2015 Feb 3