Laser hair removal was performed experimentally for about 20 years before it became commercially available in the mid 1990s.[citation needed] One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.[1][2] The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community,[citation needed] and laser hair removal is widely practiced in clinics, and even in homes using devices designed and priced for consumer self-treatment. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.[3]