What it means for a patient
- A CO2 gel mask used after fractional laser shortened redness and helped the skin barrier recover in this trial.
- Biopsies at 4 weeks showed a thicker outer skin layer in the carboxytherapy group.
- Only 6 women took part, 2 of them in the comparison group. The authors call for larger studies.
- The trial tested one named commercial product.
- Limits: 6 participants, all women, 12 weeks of follow-up.
Why this paper matters
It tested topical carboxytherapy as an addition to aftercare following fractional CO2 laser resurfacing, with imaging, skin measurements and biopsies.
Overview
Topical carboxytherapy delivers carbon dioxide through the skin and may support skin repair. The authors tested a CO2 gel mask (CO2Lift Carboxy Gel, Lumisque Skincare) after fractional CO2 laser treatment of mild to moderate sun-aged skin. The trial was randomized and placebo-controlled, and it enrolled 6 women.
Findings
- 12-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial; 6 women with mild to moderate photoaging.
- Topical carboxytherapy: 4 participants. Standard care: 2 participants.
- Assessments: VISIA-CR imaging, biophysical measurements, investigator ratings, and paired skin biopsies at baseline and week 4.
- Carboxytherapy was well tolerated, with no major adverse events.
- VISIA-CR imaging showed faster resolution of redness.
- Transepidermal water loss returned to normal faster, and skin pH stayed stable.
- Week 4 biopsies showed thickening of the epidermis and rete ridge formation with carboxytherapy vs placebo.
- Investigator ratings showed significantly better healing, global assessment and global aesthetic improvement scale scores.
- There were trends toward improvement in photodamage, wrinkles and pigmentation.
- The authors state larger studies are needed to confirm the findings.
- The abstract gives the direction of each change but no measured values.
Terms
- Carboxytherapy: delivery of carbon dioxide into the skin; here, through a gel mask on the surface.
- Fractional CO2 laser: a carbon dioxide laser that treats tiny columns of skin and leaves the skin between them untouched.
- Photoaging: skin aging caused by sun exposure.
- VISIA-CR: a standardized facial imaging system that measures redness, pigment and texture.
- Transepidermal water loss: the amount of water that escapes through the skin; a measure of skin barrier health.
- Epidermis: the outer layer of the skin.
- Rete ridges: the wave-shaped folds where the outer skin layer meets the deeper layer.
- Erythema: redness of the skin.
- Placebo-controlled: compared with a group that received an inactive or standard treatment.