TUESDAY, Feb. 20, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- There's a new wrinkle in the search for younger-looking skin, experts report.
A series of low-energy treatments with a "plasma skin regeneration tool" to banish wrinkles seems to be equally effective as a single, high-energy blast but with less healing time for patients.
"The healing time in our study averaged approximately five days per treatment," a team led by Dr. Melissa Bogle, now at the Laser and Cosmetic Surgery Center of Houston, noted in the study, which is published in the February issue of Archives of Dermatology. Bogle conducted the study while at SkinCare Physicians in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
"While nearly a week of healing time may not seem to be an improvement over other minimally invasive resurfacing procedures and micropeels, the intensity of the healing process is quite minor, which makes it an attractive option for many patients," the researchers said.
This non-surgical procedure relies on "plasma" which, according to the study, is a state of matter in which electrons are stripped from atoms to form an ionized gas.
For this procedure, energy from plasma is delivered to skin tissue in short (one millisecond) pulses.
The device, called Portrait PSR, delivers the pulses and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for both multiple low-energy treatments and for single, high-energy treatments, both to remove wrinkles and treat superficial skin lesions such as acne scarring. Most of the research thus far, however, has focused on the latter, which can take a week or longer to heal.
This study aimed to see if similar results and less healing time could be achieved with multiple treatments delivered at a low energy.
The research was funded by Rhytec Inc. of Waltham, Mass., which makes the PSR device.
The researchers enlisted eight volunteers and administered three full-face, low-energy treatments every three weeks.
Three months after being treated, participants had 37 percent fewer wrinkles (as judged by the researchers) and a 68 percent improvement in overall facial appearance (as judged by the patient).
Tissue had regrown over the affected area after four days, and redness lasted six days.
According to the researchers, healing time averaged five days per treatment, which included time it took for redness and peeling to completely subside.
Turning back the clock by turning to a smorgasbord of cosmetic and surgical procedures continues to be a great American pursuit.
In 2005, nearly 11.5 million surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
A second study in the same issue of Archives of Dermatology found that "dermal fillers" used to smooth out wrinkles work by stimulating the production of collagen.
Perhaps the most popular of these fillers is one containing hyaluronic acid.
Curiously, the effect of the injections lasts six to 12 months, even though the hyaluronic acid only lasts hours to days in the skin. These researchers wanted to find out why.
"We found that these filler injections stimulate production of collagen, which is a major structural protein in the skin which essentially gives youthful skin a nice, smooth appearance," said Dr. Frank Wang, lead author of the study and a clinical research fellow at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. "So, we believe that this stimulation of collagen imparts some of the cosmetic effects." This is in addition to the space-filling effects of the substance, Wang added.
The findings may open the door to other applications for the product.
"Perhaps this filler could be used for skin conditions in which collagen is deficient, for instance, in patients who use potent steroids," Wang said. "We haven't tested this, but, based on observation, it's possible that it could have use in this area in addition to the cosmetic use that it's currently approved for."
More information
To learn more about cosmetic surgery, visit the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
