Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2018 Feb 27;12(1):60.
doi: 10.1186/s13256-018-1604-4.

Purpura induced by laser hair removal: a case report

Abdullah Al-Hargan  1 , Yasser A Ghobara  2 , Ahmad Al-Issa  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Purpura induced by laser hair removal: a case report

Abdullah Al-Hargan et al. J Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Laser hair removal is an effective and safe method for the permanent reduction of unwanted hair. Common side effects include temporary pain, transient erythema, and perifollicular edema. Purpuric eruption is a rare adverse event.

Case presentation: To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case report of purpura induced by laser hair removal. Our patient is a 50-year-old woman of Arab origin. Her positive reaction to a laser hair removal provocation test helped in the diagnosis; her condition was managed with an orally administered corticosteroid, leading to complete resolution within 5 days.

Conclusion: Purpura induced by laser hair removal is a self-limiting and unusual side effect; physicians' awareness of such adverse events can help them to avoid unnecessary investigations and provide guidance for better management.

Keywords: Alexandrite laser; Case report; Laser hair removal; Purpura; Side effects.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable

Consent for publication

Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Numerous palpable purpura over both thighs and legs after laser hair removal
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Provocation test of right dorsal forearm. Long-pulsed alexandrite and neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet shows positive reaction 24 hours after test spot
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ibrahimi OA, Avram MM, Hanke CW, Kilmer SL, Anderson RR. Laser hair removal. Dermatol Ther. 2011;24:94–107. doi: 10.1111/j.1529-8019.2010.01382.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Noh S, Koh WS, Lim HW, Yoon C, Kim Y, Chung JH, Kim HC, Kim S. Tool to visualize and evaluate operator proficiency in laser hair-removal treatments. Biomed Eng Online. 2014;13:40. doi: 10.1186/1475-925X-13-40. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anderson RR, Parrish JA. Selective photothermolysis: precise microsurgery by selective absorption of pulsed radiation. Science. 1983;220:524–527. doi: 10.1126/science.6836297. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gan SD, Graber EM. Laser hair removal: a review. Dermatol Surg. 2013;39:823–838. doi: 10.1111/dsu.12116. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kelsall D. Laser hair removal: No training required? CMAJ. 2010;182:743. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.100475. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources