Facial rhytides—subsurfacing or resurfacing? A review

✍ Scribed by Hortensia Grema; Bärbel Greve; Christian Raulin

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 166 KB
• Volume: 32
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0196-8092
• DOI: 10.1002/lsm.10172

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Study Design/Background and Objectives

Currently, ablative laser therapy (with CO~2~/Er:YAG lasers) is considered an effective and promising method of skin rejuvenation. The induction of collagen synthesis was observed after treatments with the CO~2~ laser and with the long‐pulsed Er:Yag laser. In past years, the undesirable side effects and risks of these methods have led to intensified research efforts in the fields of non‐ablative facial rejuvenation as well as subsurfacing by means of non‐ablative laser systems and intense pulsed light systems. The objective is to achieve selective, heat‐induced denaturalization of dermal collagen that leads to subsequent reactive synthesis of neocollagen but does not damage the epidermis. This article reviews the use of different types of lasers and intense pulsed light sources for the non‐ablative treatment of facial rhytides.

Results

The results of numerous clinical and histological investigations have recently indicated that these new technologies are successful. Some studies demonstrated remarkable effects with non‐ablative systems; others, however, showed only limited cosmetic improvement or none at all.

Conclusions

After critical review and assessment of current literature on the treatment of rhytides, we have found that non‐ablative methods do not appear to be a comparable alternative to ablative skin resurfacing in terms of their efficacy and side effects. Lasers Surg. Med. 32:405–412, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.