Chewing gum insulation for upper lip hair reduction

Sanjeev Gupta; Namya Gupta; Meghna Khatri; Aditi Dabhra

doi:10.25259/IJDVL_677_2023

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Pearls

90 (

4

); 557-558

doi:

10.25259/IJDVL_677_2023

pmid:

38594980

Chewing gum insulation for upper lip hair reduction

Sanjeev Gupta^,, Namya Gupta^1,, Meghna Khatri, Aditi Dabhra

Department of Dermatology, MM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, MMDU, Mullana, Ambala India

1Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College Karnal (Haryana), India

Corresponding author: Dr. Sanjeev Gupta, Department of Dermatology, MM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, MMDU, Mullana, Ambala India. sanjeevguptadr@gmail.com

Received: 2023-07-01, Accepted: 2023-11-20, Epub ahead of print: 2024-04-01, Published: 2024-06

Licence

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

How to cite this article: Gupta S, Gupta N, Khatri M, Dabhra A. Chewing gum insulation for upper lip hair reduction. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2024;90:557-8. doi: 10.25259/IJDVL_677_2023

Problem

Laser hair reduction is widely used for removing unwanted hair. However, some patients experience excruciating pain while undergoing laser hair reduction on the upper lip area, usually due to sensitive gums, dental implants, braces, etc. The pain may be the result of the heat generated by the laser. To overcome this problem, conventionally, a silicone gel sheet¹ or a wooden spatula covered with gauze² is used to form a layer inside between the upper lip and the gums. Unfortunately, the wooden spatula is not flexible and the silicon sheet is not disposable, and availability is an issue in addition to the extra cost.

Solution

To overcome this problem, we have been using chewing gum or bubble gum to form an insulating layer between lips and gums for some time. The patient is asked to chew a few pieces of chewing gum according to the area that needs to be covered over the teeth. After the chewing gum becomes soft, the patient can cover their gums and teeth on his/her own with the gentle pressure of the tongue to manipulate the shape of the chewing gum along the contour of the gums and teeth [Figure 1]. Keeping the chewing gum in the mouth may also divert the patient’s attention and has the added advantage of eliminating bad odour during the procedure. Chewing gum is freely available, disposable, and mouldable, unlike the wooden spatula and silicon sheet. Thus, this technique can serve as an economical, time-saving, and effective method to alleviate pain for patients undergoing laser hair reduction on the upper lip.

Teeth and gums covered by chewing gum/bubble gum to form an insulating layer between lip and gum.

Declaration of patient consent

The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

Use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technology for manuscript preparation

The authors confirm that there was no use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technology for assisting in the writing or editing of the manuscript and no images were manipulated using AI.

References

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