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PubMed2005

Prospective, comparative evaluation of three laser systems used individually and in combination for axillary hair removal.

BACKGROUND: Using the concept of selective photothermolysis, a variety of laser systems have been developed to remove unwanted hair. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relative efficacy, tolerability, and subject satisfaction of three different laser systems used individually and in rotation for axillary hair removal. METHODS: Twenty female patients (17 with dark-colored hair, 3 with red or light-colored hair) with Fitzpatrick phototype II skin received three treatments performed at 6- to 8-week intervals. Each axilla was divided in half to yield four distinct areas that were treated by the following lasers: (1) three sessions with a long-pulse 755 nm alexandrite laser, (2) three sessions with a long-pulse 810 nm diode laser, (3) three sessions with a long-pulse 1,064 nm neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser, and (4) rotational treatment consisting of a single session by each of the three laser systems. Percent hair reduction and acute and long-term side effects were evaluated after treatment. Subjects completed questionnaires assessing tolerability and satisfaction. RESULTS: All subjects tolerated the treatments well, with only local, transient side effects seen. At the 3-month follow-up, the greatest average hair reduction was comparably similarly seen after the alexandrite laser at 59.3 +/- 9.7% and the 810 nm diode laser at 58.7 +/- 7.7%. The Nd:YAG laser and rotational regimens were less efficacious, with 31.9 +/- 11.1% and 39.8 +/- 10.1% hair reduction, respectively. Subjects with red or light-colored hair experienced 5 to 15% reduced efficacy with any laser system used. Subjects found the alexandrite and diode lasers to be equally tolerable, with only slight discomfort, and the Nd:YAG laser to be the least comfortable of the three systems. Overall, subject satisfaction of each treated site, in decreasing order, was (1) the 810 nm diode laser, (2) the alexandrite laser, (3) rotational therapy, and (4) the Nd:YAG laser. CONCLUSION: At the 3-month follow-up, the long-pulse alexandrite and 810 nm diode lasers demonstrated no statistically significant differences in efficacy, comparable efficacy and tolerability, and highest subject satisfaction. Rotational therapy with the three laser systems is not as effective as treatment with the alexandrite laser or diode laser alone but is statistically more effective than use of the long-pulse Nd:YAG system alone. Individuals with red or light-colored hair and Fitzpatrick phototype II skin have decreased efficacy of laser treatment than those with dark-colored hair and the same phototype.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Prevalence of primary acquired melanosis and nevi of the conjunctiva and uvea in the dysplastic nevus syndrome. A case-control study.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether conjunctival and uveal nevi and primary acquired melanosis are more common in individuals with the dysplastic nevus syndrome than in control subjects derived from the general population. METHODS: Power calculations were used to determine the sample size. After invitation, 162 individuals with the dysplastic nevus syndrome and 119 control subjects, matched for sex and age but otherwise randomized from the Stockholm county census file, were entered into the study. All individuals were examined in a masked fashion by the same ophthalmologist, and the presence of conjunctival and uveal melanocytic lesions and the iris color, skin type, and hair color of each individual were recorded. Contingency tables and odds ratios were used for statistical evaluation. RESULTS: The proportions of individuals with the dysplastic nevus syndrome featuring primary acquired melanosis of the conjunctiva, or nevi of the iris and choroid were not significantly different from those of control subjects. However, individuals with the dysplastic nevus syndrome appeared to have a more sun-sensitive skin type and a reddish or blond hair color more often than control subjects. CONCLUSION: In contrast to previous reports, this study suggests that ocular melanocytic lesions are no more common in individuals with the dysplastic nevus syndrome than in the general population. Therefore, this work does not provide support that periodic ophthalmic surveillance of individuals with the dysplastic nevus syndrome for the purpose of detecting conjunctival or uveal melanomas, or their precursors, is meaningful.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The prevalence of seborrheic keratoses in people aged 15 to 30 years: is the term senile keratosis redundant?

BACKGROUND: Seborrheic keratoses (SKs) are common skin lesions that have been shown to occur with increasing age, although the age of onset is not well recorded. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence, nature, and distribution of SKs in young people. METHODS: One hundred seventy people aged 15 to 30 years were given a total body examination during which the presence, number, site, and size of SKs were recorded. Biopsy specimens were taken from the first 22 people who had lesions clinically diagnosed as SKs. Data on age, skin type, eye color, and hair color were recorded for all respondents. RESULTS: Forty (23.5%) of 170 respondents had at least one SK, with no significant difference between the sexes. There was an increase in prevalence with age from 15.7% in 15- to 19-year-olds to 32.3% in those aged 25 to 30 years. The size of the SKs also increased with age. A total of 77.5% of SKs were found on the trunk and 22.5% on the limbs, head, and neck. There was no correlation between SKs and any particular hair and eye color or skin type. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm that SKs are common lesions in young Australians, appearing in a substantial proportion of people younger than 30 years. The term senile keratosis is no longer appropriate for these lesions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Hair zinc and copper: relationship to hair type and serum concentrations in children and adolescents.

The zinc and copper serum and hair concentrations of 691 3-18-y-old girls and boys previously determined as a part of the Multicentre Study of Atherosclerosis Precursors in Finnish Children and Adolescents were further analyzed in order to find a possible association between these two zinc and copper indices. The influence of hair color and the diameter of individual hair strands on hair concentrations were studied by the analysis of covariance. Hair color and serum zinc concentrations were found to be associated with hair zinc concentrations in boys. Such an association was not found for zinc and copper concentrations in girls. Hair vs serum concentrations in different age and hair color groups did not show however, a significant relationship either in copper or in zinc concentrations. The subjects with very low or high serum zinc or copper concentrations did not usually have extreme hair concentrations and vice versa. However, there were some subjects with low or high serum concentrations associated with low or high hair concentrations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Heritable disorders of hair.

Changes in the quality and quantity of hair occur in a large number of hereditary syndromes. Because of their rarity and our lack of knowledge about their pathophysiology, no entirely satisfactory classification of these hair disorders exists. This review arbitrarily groups the heritable disorders of the hair into five classes: primary hair shaft disorders, alopecia without associated defects, ectodermal dysplasias, changes in hair color, and ectopic hair.

Alopecia↗
PubMed2000

Phenytoin concentration in head hair sections: a method to evaluate the history of drug use.

Phenytoin (PHT) levels were determined in sections of head hair taken from 60 patients (34 males and 26 females), aged 5 to 69 years, who were regularly receiving the drug. The hair sectional analysis included dissolution, liquid phase extraction procedures, and immunoassay (Abbott TDx) or high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analytical techniques. The values of PHT levels in the hair from the first section (close to the hair root) to the fifth section for female patients were 18.0, 15.2, 13.1, 11.6, and 10.7 microg/g, respectively, according to HPLC measurements. There were no significantly different results obtained using the immunoassay technique, according to which the mean values of PHT in the hair sections were 17.9, 15.2, 13.1, 11.9, and 10.9 microg/g, respectively, from the first to the fifth sections. The corresponding mean values for male patients by HPLC and immunoassay techniques, respectively, were 17.9, 15.0, 12.5, 12.1, and 12.3 microg/g and 17.8, 14.9, 12.2, 11.9, and 121 microg/g. Generally, a reduction of drug concentrations in hair from the first to the subsequent segments was observed. The hair PHT concentrations were found to be dependent on the dosage (by fluorescence polarization immunoassay: r = 0.987, p < or = 0.02; by HPLC: r = 0.988, p < or = 0.02). Mean dose and assay outcome values by hair color and correlation between hair PHT mean values, daily mean doses of the drug, and patients' age are presented. The differences among doses according to hair color were significant. PHT hair profiles from female and male patients compared with the mean +/- SD concentrations of the hair sections are discussed. The data indicate the possible use of hair section testing as a marker of the dosage history and the compliance of patients receiving long-term treatment with PHT.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2026

Unique Features of Melanoma Risk and Diagnosis in Red-Haired Populations.

Cutaneous melanoma is the most lethal skin cancer, and risk is strongly shaped by pigmentary phenotype. The red-hair color phenotype, marked by red hair, fair skin, freckling, and poor tanning, carries elevated melanoma risk driven largely by loss-of-function variants in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R). This risk is not explained by reduced ultraviolet protection alone. Impaired MC1R signaling shifts melanogenesis from photoprotective eumelanin toward pheomelanin, a pigment associated with oxidative stress and partly ultraviolet-independent melanomagenesis. MC1R may also influence melanoma susceptibility through pigment-independent effects on DNA damage responses, repair signaling, and genomic stability. These mechanisms support investigation of MC1R genotype, visible phenotype, nevus burden, pigment chemistry, and imaging-derived lesion metrics as complementary tools for risk stratification. Diagnosis is also distinctive in this population. Amelanotic and hypomelanotic melanomas are associated with the red-hair color phenotype, and their low pigmentary contrast may delay recognition and contribute to diagnosis at a more advanced stage. This review integrates genetic, molecular, biomarker, diagnostic, and therapeutic literature specific to red-haired populations. We argue that elevated biological susceptibility and diagnostic difficulty compound one another, and we outline priorities for MC1R-informed surveillance, imaging adapted to pigment-poor disease, pharmacologic modulation of MC1R-related pathways, and prospective risk models integrating genotype, phenotype, nevus burden, pigment biology, and imaging.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Determinants of skin sensitivity to solar irradiation.

BACKGROUND: Acute effects of UV irradiation include UV-induced erythema. Sunlight plays an important role in the development of skin cancer. Several predictive factors of UV-induced erythema could also be predictive for skin cancer. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to quantitatively assess phenotypical and nutritional determinants of sensitivity to UV irradiation, as assessed by the minimal erythema dose (MED). DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 335 volunteers. Sensitivity to UV irradiation was established through assessment of the MED. Phenotypical determinants, including skin melanin content, hair color and iris color were determined by skin reflectance spectrometry, a subjective questionnaire and an objective classification system, respectively. Furthermore, dietary exposure was measured by carotenoids, vitamin C, retinol and alpha-tocopherol in serum. RESULTS: Male subjects were found to be more sensitive to UV irradiation; that is, the MED was significantly lower compared to female subjects. Skin melanin content, which was positively associated with iris color in both sexes and with hair color in men, was the main phenotypical determinant of sensitivity to UV irradiation. No associations were found between serum carotenoids and MED in the total study group. Vitamin C was inversely associated with MED. However, associations between carotenoids concentrations and MED showed a positive trend in subjects with melanin values above and a negative trend in subjects below the median after adjustment for gender and total cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: Skin melanin content and gender are important determinants of sensitivity to UV irradiation. No relation was found between serum carotenoids and MED in the total study group. The inverse association between vitamin C and MED was against our hypothesis. For the modifying effect of melanin on the association between carotenoids and MED, we do not have a clear biological explanation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Hair removal using a combination of conducted radiofrequency and optical energies--an 18-month follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple lasers and intense pulsed light sources have been shown to provide long-term hair removal; however, the management of all dark skin phenotypes and light-colored hair remains problematic. The present study examined the long-term photoepilatory effect of a combined intense pulsed light (IPL) (680-980 nm)/radiofrequency (RF) (10-30 J/cm3) light source and its efficiency for the treatment of multiple skin phenotypes and varied hair colors. METHODS: Forty adult patients (skin phenotypes II-V) with varied facial and non-facial hair colors were treated with a combined IPL/RF technology. Four treatments were carried out over a period of 9-12 months at 8-12-week intervals. Light energy ranged from 15 to 26 J/cm2, while RF energy varied from 10 to 20 J/cm3. Hair counts and photographic evaluation of skin sites were obtained at baseline, and months 1, 3 and 5 after the final treatment session. H&E biopsies were examined at 1 week in five randomly selected study cohorts. RESULTS: Maximum hair reduction was observed at 6-8 weeks after each treatment. An average clearance of 75% was observed in all body locations at 18 months. No significant adverse sequelae were reported. Results showed no significant dependence on skin color: lighter and darker skin types responded similarly to treatment. Histologic evaluation revealed thermal damage to hair follicles with vacuolar degeneration. CONCLUSION: The combined IPL (680-980 nm)/RF light source with contact cooling is a safe and effective method of long-term hair reduction in patients of diversified skin types and varied hair colors and is associated with excellent patient safety.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed2001

Predictors of sunburn among Canadian adults.

BACKGROUND: Data from the 1996 National Survey on Sun Exposure & Protective Behaviors (4,023 respondents) were analyzed to identify independent predictors of sunburn among adult Canadians. METHODS: Multivariate models predicting sunburn odds were developed using unconditional logistic regression. Backward elimination model selection was used to identify independent predictors of sunburn. RESULTS: Nonbehavioral characteristics found to predict sunburn were younger age, male sex, light skin color, nonblack hair color, and birthplace in North America or Europe. Behavioral predictors of sunburn included high awareness of the UV Index, working outdoors in the summer, longer leisure time in the sun, forgetfulness about protecting oneself from the sun, and seeking a tan. Sun avoidance between 11 AM and 4 PM was associated with lower odds of sunburn, while seeking shade when outside and use of protective clothing showed nonsignificant associations with lower sunburn odds. Sunscreen use was found to have a nonsignificant positive association with sunburn. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight risk factors to be considered in the targeting of sunburn reduction strategies to high-risk groups and suggest that sun avoidance, seeking shade, and use of protective clothing may be effective in preventing sunburn.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry determination of 17alpha-ethinylestradiol residue in the hair of cattle. Application to treated animals.

A gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS(2)) method for the detection and quantification of 17alpha-ethinylestradiol in the hair of cattle has been developed, and uses an ion trap analyzer. After the digestion of 500 mg of hair by alkaline digestion using 1 M NaOH, extraction and purification of the steroid were performed in the same step by means of diphasic dialysis. This technique is a semipermeable-membrane technology developed for the direct extraction of relatively low-molecular-mass analytes. The process was performed by employing acetate buffer to homogenize the digested hair, dichloromethane as the extraction solvent at 37 degrees C, and stirring at 150 rpm for 4 h. The recovery was between 74 and 94%. The detection limit was 0.52 ng/g in hair. To evaluate the validity of the methodology, five animals, approximately 3 months old, received an intramuscular anabolic dose of the drug. The xenobiotic could be detected 7 or 14 days after the treatment (between 2.01 and 23.61 ng/g), and until the end of the study (day 98). No statistical difference between hair color and hair assay outcomes was found.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Melanocortin receptor-1 gene polymorphisms and the risk of cutaneous melanoma in a low-risk southern European population.

Individuals with melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene variants have been shown to carry an increased risk for the development of melanoma. In this study, we investigated the relationship of MC1R gene variants and the risk of melanoma in 123 melanoma patients and 155 control subjects from Greece. The entire MC1R gene was sequenced for polymorphisms and the results were correlated with host factors and pigmentary characteristics. MC1R polymorphisms were present in 59.4% of melanoma patients compared to 37.5% of controls, yielding an odds ratio (OR) of 2.43 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.50-3.96, P < 0.001) for melanoma among MC1R carriers. The risk of melanoma was enhanced in individuals carrying multiple variant alleles (OR = 6.97; 95% CI = 1.86-26.12, P = 0.004). Only the Val60Leu, Arg142His, and Arg151Cys variants were significantly associated with melanoma risk. In stratified analysis, the risk of melanoma among MC1R carriers was not influenced by skin phototype, skin color, or hair color. No association was found between MC1R genotype and the age of onset of melanoma, the tumor location, or the tumor thickness. In conclusion, MC1R polymorphisms are a predisposing factor of melanoma in a southern European population with a relatively low incidence of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A simplified method for mitochondrial DNA extraction from head hair shafts.

DNA isolation from hair shafts can involve a number of steps, each of which adds time to the procedure and increases the risk of contamination. A simple alkaline digestion procedure that directly dissolves hairs was developed and compared with a widely used glass grinding/organic extraction method, using samples collected from 30 volunteers with varying population ancestries, hair colors, and hair treatments. A 203 bp mtDNA product could be amplified from 90% of samples extracted by alkaline digestion and 73% of hairs extracted by glass grinding. DNA obtained from alkaline digested hair generated equal or greater amplification success for virtually all criteria examined, and mtDNA sequences matched buccal control sequences in all cases. The two methods were similar in DNA yield (amplification success at template dilution) and quality of DNA obtained (amplicon length). Alkaline digestion of hair shafts required 6-7 h to complete, compared to 22-24 h for glass grinding, and proved a less laborious yet equally robust method for mtDNA extraction.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Cell kinetics of human scalp hair--impulse cytophotometric studies].

DNA Flow Cytometric measurements (DNA-FCM) were performed on both anagen hair bulbs of 21 healthy volunteers (11 females, 10 males; aged between 18 and 21 years) and tufts of plucked hairs from 43 test persons (17 showing normal trichograms, 12 with telogen and 14 with dystrophic hair root pattern; aged between 19 and 49), subsequently submitted to routine trichogram investigation. The high proliferative activity of anagen hair bulb cells was accurately registered by FCM. Neither sex nor hair color nor hair length were found to influence the proliferative parameters. The degree of hair loss-as diagnosed on account of the trichogram-was also reflected by the DNA histograms; telogen and dystrophic hair root patterns, however, could not be discerned by FCM.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Pigmentary characteristics and moles in relation to melanoma risk.

Although benign and atypical moles are considered key melanoma risk factors, previous studies of their influence were small and/or institution-based. We conducted a population-based case-control study in the state of New Hampshire. Individuals of ages 20-69 with an incident diagnosis of first primary cutaneous melanoma were ascertained through the New Hampshire State Cancer Registry. Controls were identified through New Hampshire driver's license lists and frequency-matched by age and gender to cases. We interviewed 423 eligible cases and 678 eligible controls. Host characteristics, including mole counts, were evaluated using logistic regression analyses. Our results showed that pigmentary factors, including eye color (OR = 1.57 for blue eyes compared to brown), hair color (OR = 1.85 for blonde/red hair color compared to brown/black), freckles before age 15 (OR = 2.39 for freckles present compared to absent) and sun sensitivity (OR = 2.25 for peeling sunburn followed by no tan or a light tan and 2.42 for sunburn followed by tan compared to tanning immediately), were related to melanoma risk; these associations held after adjustment for sun-related factors and for moles. In analyses confined to skin examination participants, the covariate-adjusted effects of benign and atypical moles were moderately strong. Compared to 0-4 benign moles, risk increased steadily for 5-14 moles (OR = 1.71), 15-24 moles (OR = 3.55) and >or= 25 moles (OR = 4.33). Risk also increased with the number of atypical moles; compared to none, the ORs for having 1, 2-3, or >or= 4 atypical moles were 2.08, 1.84 and 3.80, respectively. Although risk was highest for those with multiple benign and atypical moles, the interaction was not of statistical significance. Our findings, arising from the first population- and incidence-based study to evaluate atypical moles in relation to melanoma risk, confirm the importance of host susceptibility, represented by pigmentary factors and the tendency to develop benign or atypical moles, in the etiology of this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Hair pigmentation: a research update.

Hair is a uniquely mammalian trait with important functions, most easily appreciated in furred mammals. Our skin and hair color contribute very significantly to our overall visual appearance by highlighting striking variations between human sub-groups. Although melanins, hemoglobins, and carotenoids define the color perceived at the skin surface, our hair color relies only on the presence or absence of different melanins. The hair shaft's physical aspects provide only minor color modification. Various selective evolutionary pressures have determined that within the context of our specific ethnic backgrounds a bewildering array of natural shades are seen; ranging from yellows, reds, and browns to black and that harbinger of lost youth, gray/white hair. Skin/hair follicle melanins are formed in cytoplasmic organelles called melano-somes produced by neural crest-derived pigment cells called melano-cytes and are the product of a complex, phylogenetically ancient, biochemical pathway called melanogenesis. The following provides a review of research presented at the 4th Intercontinental Meeting of Hair Research Societies 2004 and so is not intended to represent a fully comprehensive overview of the subject-for that readers are directed to key references.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Hair cycle and hair pigmentation: dynamic interactions and changes associated with aging.

The tight coupling of hair follicle melanogenesis to the hair growth cycle dramatically distinguishes follicular melanogenesis from the continuous melanogenesis of the epidermis. Cyclic re-construction of an intact hair follicle pigmentary unit occurs optimally in all scalp hair follicles during only the first 10 hair cycles, i.e. by approximately 40 years of age. Thereafter there appears to be a genetically regulated exhaustion of the pigmentary potential of each individual hair follicle leading to the formation of true gray and white hair. Pigment dilution results primarily from a reduction in tyrosinase activity within hair bulbar melanocytes. Thereafter, sub-optimal melanocyte-cortical keratinocyte interactions, and defective migration of melanocytes from a reservoir in the upper outer root sheath to the pigment-permitting microenvironment close to the follicular papilla of the hair bulb, will all disrupt normal function of the pigmentary unit. Evidence from studies on epidermal melanocyte aging suggest that reactive oxygen species-mediated damage to nuclear and mitochondrial DNA may lead to mutation accumulation in bulbar melanocytes. Parallel dysregulation of anti-oxidant mechanisms or pro/anti-apoptotic factors is also likely to occur within the cells. Pigment loss in canities may also affect keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, providing the tantalizing suggestion that melanocytes in the hair follicle contribute far more that packages of pigment alone. Here, we review the current state of knowledge of the development, regulation and control of the aging human hair follicle pigmentary system in relation with hair cycling. The exploitation of recently available methodologies to manipulate hair follicle melanocytes in vitro, and the observations that melanocytes remain in senile white hair follicles that can be induced to pigment in culture, raises the possibility of someday reversing canities. The perspective of rejuvenation of the whole hair follicle apparatus are still part of the dream but optimising its functional properties is clinically relevant and is close to reality. Finally as hair color influences its visibility when optical methods such as scalp photography are used to count hair fibers, the attention is drawn to possible interpretations of statistically significant changes in visible hair. Such changes may not exclusively be related to improved hair growth itself but also to changes in natural hair color that makes the hair more visible with the method used to count hairs.

Adult↗