Successful White Hair Removal with Combined Coloring and Intense Pulsed Light: A Randomized Clinical Trial

In the 2011 study, researchers aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of combining hair coloring with intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy for the removal of white facial hair. The randomized clinical trial involved 62 hirsute patients with excessive white hair on their chin and cheeks, who underwent six sessions of IPL treatment at 4-week intervals. Patients were divided into two groups: one had their white hair colored with black eyeliner, and the other with black hair dye, before IPL treatment. The primary efficacy outcome was categorized as poor (<30%), fair (30–60%), or good (>60%) based on the response to hair removal after six sessions. In the eyeliner group (31 patients), 48.4% had a fair response and 51.6% had a good response. In the hair dye group (31 patients), 3.2% had a poor response, 54.8% had a fair response, and 41.9% had a good response. No significant difference in treatment success was observed between the two groups (p=0.895). At the 6-month follow-up, 31 patients returned, with 3 in the hair dye group and 5 in the eyeliner group showing no improvement. The study concluded that hair coloring is an efficient and feasible adjunct to IPL for eliminating white facial hair.