Laser technique assists beard problem

New research and technology has been inventing new techiques. Laser hair removal is a useful remedy for ingrowing hairs that develop after shaving. Many men suffer from irritating 'razor bumps' after they shave. The medical name is pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) and it occurs when the relatively sharp end of a shaved hair grows back into the skin, forming bumps on the face and neck. Some men find PFB painful and it may even leave scars.

Growing a beard is one way round the problem. But since men in the US Navy aren't suppose to have a beard, it fell to Navy researchers to find a cure for the problem. They had 40 men with PFB try laser hair removal on one part of the skin and compared this with an untreated area.

After 80 days, the incidence of PFB on the treated sites was much lower than on the untreated control area. This means that laser hair removal might be a better and more complete treatment for PFB than existing options such as topical steroids and exfoliation, which typically only deal with the problem in the short term.