Carboxytherapy Mask as Post Nanofractional Radiofrequency Treatment for Improvement of Facial Skin Quality and Photoaging

April 2021 | Volume 20 | Issue 4 | Original Article | 461 | Copyright © April 2021


Published online March 30, 2021

doi:10.36849/JDD.5856

Kathleen Medrano,a Suleima Arruda MD,b Namrata Oza MS,a Neil Sadick MDa,b

aSadick Research Group; New York, NY 
bSadick Dermatology; New York, NY

Abstract
Background: Skin rejuvenation can be achieved with minimally invasive treatments using energy-based devices that feature reduced side effects and downtime. Post-treatment care is key to minimize any potential side effects and skin reactions such as erythema, dryness, or dyschromia.
Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and patient satisfaction of a novel carboxytherapy gel mask compared with petroleum-based lanolin-containing ointment to accelerate wound healing facial post-nanofractional radiofrequency treatment.
Methods and Materials: Ten subjects were enrolled in this pilot, prospective, randomized, single-blind study and randomized into two arms. One arm received one nanofractional radiofrequency treatment with ointment right after and four consecutive days of ointment applications twice a day, while the second arm followed this regimen with a carboxytherapy gel mask application right after and four consecutive days after treatment. Investigator, safety, and patient assessments were conducted at 24 hours and one-week post treatment. Safety was monitored throughout. The primary endpoint was defined as the degree of investigator global assessment (IGA) in photodamage, pigmentation, and wrinkles using standardized photographs. Secondary endpoints included investigator-rated degree of erythema, edema, crusting, exudation, percentage healing, improvement of skin quality, and patient satisfaction.
Results: Nine patients completed the study. There was improvement of one degree in IGA for photodamage, pigmentation and wrinkles in all patients using the carboxytherapy gel mask at the one-week follow up. Blinded investigator ratings showed significant improvement of dryness, erythema, edema, crusting, and percentage healing at the 24-hour follow up, with all patients remaining the same a week post treatment. All patients in the carboxytherapy group were satisfied with the treatment and had no adverse effects. Three patients in the petroleum-based lanolin-containing group experienced mild edema and acne breakout that resolved two weeks after treatment.
Conclusion: Carboxytherapy delivered via a gel mask after skin rejuvenation procedures is a safe and effective strategy to improve clinical outcomes and reduce post-treatment side effects.

J Drugs Dermatol. 20(4):461-465. doi:10.36849/JDD.5856

INTRODUCTION

Increased patient demand for minimally invasive effective skin rejuvenation treatments that have no downtime, along with innovation in the realm of energy-based devices has led to the development of a plethora of technologies that can decrease photodamage and wrinkles, and improve skin quality. By harnessing ultrasound, laser/light, or radiofrequency energy and targeting the epidermal and dermal skin layers, these devices mediate epidermal turnover, dermal remodeling, and collagen/elastin production.

Radiofrequency devices for skin rejuvenation are notably popular, as they can have clinical effects in all skin types, as they operate in a chromophore-independent manner. While one of the first generation of radiofrequency devices was used mainly for skin tightening, there are now several iterations of radiofrequency devices depending on their electrode configuration (monopolar, bipolar, multipolar, multi-generator), something that has also expanded their applications. The latest generation of radiofrequency devices is the nano-fractional radiofrequency device (Venus Vivaâ„¢, Venus Concept, Toronto, Canada). This technology offers precise depth penetration and consistent selection dermal heating as well as controlled coagulation and ablation ability in comparison to other radiofrequency devices. The energy is delivered through 160
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