A randomized study of eflornithine cream combined with intense pulsed light versus intense pulsed light treatment alone for hirsutism in women

Authors

  • Tahir Shehzad
  • Farah Iqbal
  • Neelam Iqbal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66344/jpad.28.4.2018.1310

Keywords:

Eflornithine, intense pulsed light, hirsutism

Abstract

Objective To document the efficacy of concomitant use of eflornithine cream and intense pulsed light (IPL) in disease clearance in hirsutism in women. Methods This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of eflornithine cream combined with IPL treatment versus IPL alone for treatment of hirsutism in women. All subjects underwent treatment with IPL every 4 weeks for 8 sessions. Each patient also applied either eflornithine or placebo cream twice daily to each side of face in a double-blinded manner. Patients were evaluated for efficacy via hair count analysis and patient self-assessment. Results Both treatment modalities were well tolerated by 40 patients. The outcome measures showed significantly better results in favour of eflornithine plus IPL versus IPL alone. At the end of study almost complete hair removal was achieved in 38 of 40 (95%) of eflornithine + IPL sites versus 31 of 40 (77%) for the placebo cream+ IPL treated sites (P=0.021). Statistically significant differences in favour of eflornithine were seen. Conclusion Combination of eflornithine to IPL results in more rapid and complete reduction of unwanted facial hair in women. 

References

Hamzavi I, Tan E, Shapiro J. A randomized bilateral vehicle-controlled study of eflornithine cream combined with laser treatment versus laser treatment alone for facial hirsutism in women. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2007;57:54-9.

Wolf JE Jr, Shander D, Huber F, Jackson J, Lin CS, Mathes BM et al. Randomized double blind clinical evaluation of the efficacy and safety of topical eflornithine HCl 13.9% cream in the treatment of women with facial hair. Int J Dermatol. 2007;46:94-8.

Smith SR, Piacquadio DJ, Beger B, Littler C. Eflornithine cream combined with laser therapy in the management of unwanted facial hair growth in women: a randomized trial. Dermatol Surg. 2006;32:1237-43.

Clayton WJ, Lipton M, Elford J, Rustin M, Sherr L. A randomized controlled trial of laser treatment among hirsute women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Br J Dermatol. 2005;152:986-92.

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Published

2019-02-17

How to Cite

1.
Shehzad T, Iqbal F, Iqbal N. A randomized study of eflornithine cream combined with intense pulsed light versus intense pulsed light treatment alone for hirsutism in women. J Pak Assoc Dermatol [Internet]. 2019Feb.17 [cited 2026May1];28(4):482-4. Available from: https://www.jpad.com.pk/index.php/jpad/article/view/1310

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 4 (2018): October - December

Section

Original Articles

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Authors retain the copyright to their work and grant the 'Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatologists (JPAD)' the right of first publication under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This license allows others to share, adapt, and reuse the work for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the journal.

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