Subject Satisfaction of Wrinkle Reduction Following Treatment with Fractional Radiofrequency: A Prospective Study

November 2022 | Volume 21 | Issue 11 | 1221 | Copyright © November 2022


Published online October 28, 2022

Edward V. Ross MD, Briana Wischnack NP

Scripps Clinic, San Diego, CA



their treatments, of which 57.1% reported: "satisfied" and 14.3% reported being "very satisfied" (Figure 2).

All participants reported some level of change at the followup visits compared to baseline. At the 6-week follow-up, 40% of participants reported a moderate or significant level of positive change. By the 12-week follow-up, 58% of participants reported a moderate or significant level of change. For 20% of participants, changes were noticed as soon as after 1 treatment, but most participants (47%) noticed the change after the second treatment (3 to 5 weeks post previous treatment). The most common specific changes in skin reported by participants at 12 weeks was smoother skin, improvement of fine lines, and firmer skin. At 12 weeks post final treatment, the most common specific changes in skin were improvement in fine lines, smoother skin, softer skin, and firmer skin. At 6 weeks post the last treatment, most participants reported the most significant area of wrinkle reduction around the eyes and at 12 weeks around the mouth (Table 2).

Safety Outcomes: Pain, Tolerability, and Adverse Events
Treatments were well tolerated at all treatment sessions. The average tolerability level of all 3 treatments was 3.2 out of a possible total of 4.0 (80-pin tip average 3.3 out of 4.0 and 160-pin tip 3.2 out of 4.0), correlating to "very tolerable", and there was no significant difference of tolerability between treatments with 80-pin versus 160-pin tips (P=0.42; Figure 3).