Pneumatic Skin Flattening for Reducing Pain of Laser Hair Removal: A Pilot Study

The pneumatic skin-flattening (PSF) device applies suction to the skin immediately prior to and during laser treatment, causing skin compression, thereby reducing the pain of laser treatment. In this pilot study, I report on a paired, controlled study using a commercial alexandrite laser with and without PSF to treat the axillae of adult female volunteers. Compared with conventional laser treatment using cryogen skin cooling, PSF reduced the pain of hair removal treatment in every study participant. Future studies using larger numbers of participants and different lasers should better quantify the pain reduction afforded by PSF as compared with conventional laser treatment, as well as the potential benefits of reduced adverse effects and improved efficacy associated with PSF.