PCOS vs. LIGHT BASED TREATMENTS
©2010 Andrew Thompson
Hi A, how are you? I'm just wondering if you're
able to give me any more information on the new policy of treating clients who have/had
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, just so I have a better understanding of it for
concerned clients. Thank you E :)
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Hi E,
We have implemented new policies effective 1 January 2010 regarding PCOS,
mainly because I have begun to view light-based treatments on clients with
PCOS as an unwise first course of action for hair removal and hyper
pigmentation. It is not necessarily a large risk but my concerns are
sufficient that I feel the need to set a policy in place.
From overseas studies, the issue with PCOS in regards to light-based treatments
appears to be twofold. First,
PCOS causes radical hormonal shifts in the body, and second, it makes the
body's immune systems work overtime to try to regulate those hormonal
changes.
Sometimes the immune systems get it right and bring the body back into balance. People who have PCOS and say that they've had
it for ten years etc without much trouble, fall into this category. In this
instance, we could treat someone with PCOS if they give us a signed
authority from their GP saying that the client is suitable for a light-based
treatment.
Sometimes though, the immune systems get it wrong and over-compensates. People
in this category experience all the usual symptoms of radical hormonal changes, eg facial hair, unexpected pigment marks etc. Unfortunately, these
are also the people most likely to come to us for help.
The problem for people in this category, is that their immune systems aren't
reacting properly. As a result, there is a good chance that the immune systems will also get it wrong in
response to a light based treatment.
The issue isn't necessarily the heat generated by the treatment, but rather,
the light. Even over-exposure to sunlight may cause problems for people with
PCOS, such as
hyper-pigmentation and premature skin aging. The heat however, has a
secondary effect in that it damages surrounding cellular tissue, which is of
course the purpose of having the treatment in the first place, and the
factor that stimulates collagen renewal. But with the immune systems out of
kilter, this usually positive factor can become a negative.
In PCOS cases, the most common result from all the above factors, is that
the body decides to over-compensate again, and will produce too much reparative
material. It may actually stimulate new hairs to grow from cells that have
lain dormant, eg the soft white facial fluff that might have stayed like
that for life, becomes black and coarse, even if the client is blonde. The surrounding skin tissue can also become darker and thicker to help shield
the target chromophores (melanin, haemoglobin, porphyrin) from future "attack".
The same applies to any other type of light-based treatment. A pigment treatment can make the mark become more resistant, a capillary treatment can
make the lumen walls grow thicker and tougher, hair may suddenly appear in
response to an unrelated treatment, or dormant porphyrin cells may produce
an outbreak of acne.
ANY light based treatment, be it laser or pulsed light, can cause ALL of
these problems, even if they didn't pre-present. With more evidence
coming to light on the subject, and with no regulation in Australia, we are
making an industry-first stance and have adopted the new policy of not
recommending light-based treatments to clients with PCOS. Any clients
with PCOS who are currently being treated are being informed of our new
policy and may need to furnish medical clearance from their GP's before
continuing treatments.
The Therapist always reserves the right to refuse
further treatments if they deem that the client is not acting in their own
best interests, and in this case, it is our duty to cease treatments for
their own good. All we can do is act ethically. If the client
gets upset and goes elsewhere, which they certainly will if they've lost
reason, we can do no more.
It is my opinion that the best course of action for PCOS-related
hair growth or hyper-pigmentation is medical. The client needs to be on the
right medical treatment to bring their body's hormone levels under control,
and usually once that's achieved, chances are that problems such as
excessive hair growth and odd pigment marks will begin to reduce naturally.
Once the client has achieved that balance, and come to us with a signed authorisation from their treating GP, we can help tidy up what's left,
assuming there are no other contraindications to treatment.
I am also researching other conditions that may
fall into a similar basket as PCOS such as hyperthyroidism, HIV, and AIDS,
but I have insufficient information to set policy on these yet.
I hope this info helps. All the best, A.
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