ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the hair-removal effect of intense pulsed light (IPL) on hirsutism of spina bifida occulta. Methods 8 patients with hirsutism of spina bifida occulta were treated 3 to 5 times, at 2 month intervals, with ELITE plus IPL. Its wavelength was 610~1000 nm, and spot size was 50 mm ? 10 mm. The macro pulse was composed of a series of micro pulses with equal intervals. The micro pulse duration was 5 ms, the number of micro pulse was 4-15, the interval of micro pulse (delay) was 2~20 ms, and the fluence was 22.3～38.3J/cm2. Results All of the patients were well tolerant under no anesthesia. The hairs were mostly or fully removed after 3 to 5 courses of treatment. Routine washing could be done and bandaging was not applied after treatment. There was no blister, infection, hyperpigmentation and scarring. Little vellus hair regrowth was observed after a 6~12 month follow-up. Conclusions IPL is an ideal method to depilate hirsutism of spina bifida occulta because of its credible effect, simple operation, rapid treatment and no serious complication.