Oral contraceptives, hair removal improved quality of life in patients with hirsutism

Hormonal treatment combined with laser hair removal achieved better results in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome with hirsutism compared with the combination of metformin and laser hair removal or hair removal alone.

“Hirsutism in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) patients is a major concern for females, as it is usually resistant to treatment with laser alone,” Nevine Dorgham, MD, of Cairo University, Kasr al Aini Hospital, told Healio. “We needed to compare different treatments for PCO along with laser to assess their efficacy.”

In a presentation at the American Academy of Dermatology virtual meeting, a randomized study assessed the effect of combined oral contraceptives (COCP) or metformin and laser hair removal. One hundred fifty patients with PCO and hirsutism were randomly assigned to receive laser hair removal alone, metformin in addition to laser hair removal or COCP in addition to laser hair removal. Quality of life was the main endpoint, with final evaluations at 6 months.

Study results showed improvement in quality of life for all patients compared with baseline (P < .001), with the COCP group yielding the most significant improvement vs. the other two groups.

“COCPs make laser results in such patients last longer and better than metformin or laser alone,” Dorgham told Healio. “Dermatologists should consider always doing full PCO investigations for hirsute patients and advise gynecological consultation to prescribe COCPs or metformin.”