ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The main goal of this study was to compare the hair removal efficacy of three methods: intense pulsed light (IPL), a combination of IPL and radio frequency (RF) and diode laser (810 nm). METHODS: Forty participants were treated within three standardized squares on lateral sites on their legs. Each of these squares was treated twice with an interval of 4-6 weeks. The fourth square was left as a control. A blinded physician counted the hairs in each square before the first treatment and 8 months after the second treatment. Immediate and delayed side effects as well as pain scores were recorded. RESULTS: The mean hair count reduction achieved by the diode laser, IPL and IPL+RF was 49.90%, 39.16% and 47.15%, respectively. This study did not show any serious side effects and the number of side effects was minimal. The mean pain scores for the first and second treatments by diode laser, IPL and IPL+RF were 4.65 and 4.58, 2.43 and 2.53, and 3.95 and 4.03, respectively. At the end of the study, a free hair removal treatment for both legs was chosen by patients in the proportion 20 diode laser, 10 IPL and eight IPL+RF. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of RF and optical energies proved its safety and efficacy for hair removal, which is comparable with diode lasers and approximately 20% more efficient than 'pure' IPL.
Subject(s)
Hair Removal/methods , Lasers, Semiconductor/therapeutic use , Phototherapy , Radiofrequency Therapy , Adult , Combined Modality Therapy , Edema/etiology , Erythema/etiology , Female , Hair Removal/adverse effects , Humans , Lasers, Semiconductor/adverse effects , Leg , Middle Aged , Pain, Postoperative/etiology , Patient Preference , Phototherapy/adverse effects , Radio Waves/adverse effects , Single-Blind Method , Young AdultABSTRACT
The effect of the crude extract and of two alkaloid fractions prepared from Mahonia aquifolium on interleukin-8 (IL-8) production in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human monocytic cell line THP-1 was studied. The production of IL-8 by cells stimulated with 20 ng/ml LPS after 48 h treatment with 20 microg/ml crude extract was inhibited by about 30 %. LPS-stimulated cells treated with 0.1 microg/ml bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid fraction exhibited a 40% inhibition of IL-8 production in comparison with control cells. The fraction of protoberberine alkaloids had no significant inhibitory activity. Weak or no inhibition of IL-8 production was found after treatment with 0.5 microg/ml of protoberberine alkaloids berberine and jatrorrhizine and with berbamine from the group of BBI alkaloids. In contrast, the production was inhibited after treatment with BBI alkaloids baluchistine (about 20%) and aromoline (up to 30%).
