botanical corrective gel application. On day 0, the patient had mild, pink coloration in the treatment areas with an erythema score of 2 and a mild crusting score of 2. The botanical corrective gel was immediately applied after treatment to soothe the patient's skin. On day 2, she had a reduction in erythema and crusting with a score of 1 and 0, respectively. She also reported skin tightness, which was relieved with the botanical corrective gel and provided moisturizer. At her 1-week follow-up, she had almost complete healing of her skin with no residual erythema or crusting. The patient felt that her skin condition had significantly improved and reported only 1 day of downtime. By 1 month, the patient was completely healed and continued using the botanical corrective gel and moisturizer regimen to maintain her results.
Table 4 shows an overview of integrated skincare regimens with botanical corrective gel.
DISCUSSION
Integrated skincare regimens are evolving to be recognized as a key component for optimal outcomes in dermatology. By incorporating clinically proven, effective topical formulas into procedure-based treatment plans, integrated skin care helps to maintain and improve clinical outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, and strengthen patient commitment to the results of their procedures.
Real-world cases can help provide expert, anecdotal evidence for effective skincare regimens that may complement dermatologic procedures performed in the clinic. In addition, integrated skincare regimens return autonomy to patients and allow them to play an active role in their treatment plans. The patient cases discussed illustrate an integrated skincare regimen using botanical corrective gel combined with an energy-based laser procedure to ameliorate the rate of cutaneous healing post-facial laser or MRF. The botanical corrective gel contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients in a medical-grade skincare product that can help enhance cosmesis and further improve patient satisfaction.
While laser procedures yield excellent results in skin rejuvenation and scar treatment, the procedure has known complications and may be relatively invasive.4 For example, facial swelling can be expected for up to 1 week after fractional CO2 laser, and bruising and redness may occur for up to 3 days after fractional laser skin resurfacing.4 In the cases presented, the botanical corrective gel was added to combat the redness, swelling, and discomfort that often occur after laser procedures. Having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, the botanical corrective gel was an effective adjunct therapy in the 8 patient cases presented. In addition, the botanical corrective gel's green color (complementary to red) helps to camouflage the red appearance of inflamed skin.9
The panel presented 8 cases that exemplified the successful use of an integrated skincare regimen, including botanical corrective gel across all 6 Fitzpatrick Skin Types. There were 5 presented patient cases of non-ablative laser use, 1 case of ablative laser use, and 2 cases of MRF used in combination with the botanical corrective gel. The skincare regimen contributed to increased patient satisfaction with clinical outcomes in all the presented cases. The most common adverse event after the procedure was erythema. Using the botanical corrective gel twice daily, 75% of patients had no residual erythema by day 7 post-laser or energy-based procedure. Importantly, many patients reported a soothing sensation upon gel application, which contributed to the reduction in downtime and improvement of post-procedure quality of life.
The combination of ingredients: glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and the botanical blend, calms and soothes irritated skin and reduces visible redness. In the botanical blend, the cucumber extracts contribute to soothing irritation, while the thyme is an antioxidant that helps repair and reduce skin infection. The botanical blend rapidly reduced redness in patients treated with IPL. This is supported by literature demonstrating reduced erythema and procedure-associated adverse effects in patients treated with topical phenolic antioxidant after IP.10 Backed by real-world evidence, the diverse application of the botanical corrective gel makes it an ideal candidate for adjunct therapy in laser and energy-based procedures.
Patient satisfaction and treatment expectations are important issues in cosmetic dermatology. Our expert panel has demonstrated 8 cases in which patient satisfaction was bolstered by the use of a skincare product that enhanced the clinical outcome of procedures. The botanical corrective gel appears to reduce postoperative inflammatory response, reduce postoperative erythema, and reduce the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation with fractional lasers, especially in Fitzpatrick Skin Types III-VI. Given the few clinical trials available on integrated skincare regimens, real-world expert opinion is invaluable in guiding treatment plans to improve patient outcomes after cosmetic procedures.
Future Directions
The panel experts agreed that future randomized, controlled studies will be important to elucidate the efficacy of botanical corrective gel in integrated skincare regimens. Side-by-side comparison studies may be conducted in the future under controlled environments, which would allow for the direct comparison of individual participants. In addition, evaluation of other adjunctive therapies such as moisturizers and cleansers may also help in building the ideal, integrated skincare regimens for each patient and procedure. In the same vein, it may also be helpful to
