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Laser hair removal following forehead flap for nasal reconstruction

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Abstract

The forehead flap is a dependable option for nasal reconstruction owing to its reliability and anatomic likeness to nasal skin. For patients with low hairlines, the vertical design of the paramedian forehead flap can intrude into the scalp, thus incorporating hair into the nasal reconstruction. The inadequate length of the forehead flap or shift to an oblique design may result in eyebrow elevation and asymmetry. Therefore, laser hair removal (epilation) on the forehead flap has been proposed to improve esthetic results. An alexandrite laser (755 nm, 10 to 20 ms, 18-mm spot size) with a Dynamic Cooling Device™ (DCD™) cooling system was used for hair removal in 22 patients (16 male and 6 female patients) after nasal reconstructions using forehead flaps from December 2011 to September 2016. All patients received cryogen spray cooling laser treatment (CSC-LT). The mean follow-up period was 24 months, with a range between 18 and 50 months. The average duration of treatment was 1.8 months (range, 1–5 months). The energy density ranged from 14 to 18 J/cm2 with an average of 17.2 J/cm2. The number of treatments ranged from 2 to 4 (mean 2.8). Patients had satisfactory esthetic results over 11.1 months (range, 8–18 months). Residual white hairs were observed in 3 patients, and 4 patients had tiny black residual hairs without deteriorating cosmesis. Using an alexandrite laser to remove hair on the forehead is safe and reliable in nasal reconstruction with superior recipient site cosmesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Aesthetic Medical Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Cheng-I Yen, Chun-Shin Chang, Hung-Chang Chen & Yen-Chang Hsiao

  2. Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Graduate Institute of Biomedical Optomechatronics, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Cheng-Jen Chang

  3. Burn Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan

    Mei-Hua Chien

Authors
  1. Cheng-I Yen
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  2. Cheng-Jen Chang
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  3. Chun-Shin Chang
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  4. Hung-Chang Chen
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  5. Mei-Hua Chien
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  6. Yen-Chang Hsiao
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Correspondence to Yen-Chang Hsiao.

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This retrospective study was conducted at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital after obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Board of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

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Yen, CI., Chang, CJ., Chang, CS. et al. Laser hair removal following forehead flap for nasal reconstruction. Lasers Med Sci 35, 1549–1554 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-020-02965-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10103-020-02965-9

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