Evaluation of plasma skin regeneration technology in low-energy full-facial rejuvenation

Objective: To evaluate the use of multiple, low-energy, full-face plasma skin regeneration treatments. Design: Plasma skin regeneration delivers energy to the skin through plasma pulses induced by passing radiofrequency into nitrogen gas. Single-treatment, high-energy, 1-pass treatments have been demonstrated to achieve good results with an excellent safety profile. Eight volunteers underwent full-face treatments every 3 weeks, for a total of 3 treatments, using energy settings of 1.2 to 1.8 J. Before each subsequent treatment, the quality of regenerated epidermis, the degree of downtime, and erythema were recorded. Full-thickness skin biopsy specimens were obtained from 6 patients before treatment and 90 days following the last treatment. Patients were seen for follow-up 4 days after each treatment and 30 and 90 days after the third treatment. Results: Three months after treatment, investigators found a 37% reduction in facial rhytids and study participants noted a 68% improvement in overall facial appearance. Reepithelialization was complete in 4 days. Patients assessed erythema to persist an average of 6 days after treatment. Epidermal regeneration from the first treatment was longer than from the following treatments (9 vs 4 and 5 days, respectively). One patient developed localized hyperpigmentation after the first treatment, which resolved by follow-up at day 30. No scarring or hypopigmentation occurred. A histologic evaluation 3 months after treatment revealed a band of new collagen at the dermoepidermal junction with less dense elastin in the upper dermis. The mean depth of new collagen was 72.3 mu m. Conclusions: Plasma skin regeneration using the multiple low-energy treatment technique allows significant successful treatment of photodamaged facial skin with minimal downtime. Results are comparable to a single high-energy treatment, but with less healing time.