Treatment of Hidradenitis Suppurativa with 755nm Alexandrite Laser Hair Removal: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND Hidradenitis supprativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that can respond to treatment with laser hair removal. OBJECTIVE To assess alexandrite laser hair removal laser as a treatment for hidradenitis suppurativa as measured by the HS Clinical Response (HiSCR). MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled study in adult patients with HS. Participants underwent a series of 4 monthly laser treatments to one side of the body, with the contralateral side serving as a control. The primary outcome was HiSCR response at week 24, 8 weeks after the final laser treatment. RESULTS The percent improvement across treated sites after 4 treatments was 72.73% axillary, 70% inguinal, and 100% inframammary. Across all body regions, HiSCR response was significantly higher for the sites treated with the alexandrite laser compared to the contralateral controls: 75% vs 33.33% (p = 0.0046, 95% CI: [0.16, 1]). LIMITATIONS The limitations of this study include a small sample size from which the data was collected. CONCLUSIONS The 775nm alexandrite laser is a safe and effective treatment for HS at various anatomic sites in both resolving pre-existing lesions and preventing new eruptions.