Commentary

The document provides a commentary on the early development of hair removal lasers, specifically discussing the Epilight Hair Removal System. The system, which uses selective photothermolysis, showed effectiveness in long-term epilation after one treatment, with minimal adverse reactions such as erythema (70%) and edema (8%). However, the study lacked long-term follow-up, and the final measurements were taken when hair follicles could still be in telogen effluvium, meaning that the results might not reflect permanent hair removal. The commentary emphasizes the need for caution in the adoption of these laser systems due to the potential for complications like scarring and mottled pigmentation, and the fact that hair removal is rarely 100% complete. It also notes that while the market demand for hair removal is high, more research and long-term studies are needed to validate the effectiveness and safety of these treatments before they can be recommended as a standard method of hair removal.