Novel Treatment of Neck Wrinkles with an Intradermal Radiofrequency Device

Neck wrinkles commonly develop owing to the aging process. However, recently, the number of patients with neck wrinkles has been increasing. Also, an increasing number of young patients have presented with this condition, possibly because of the effect of the head-down posture that they adopt when using their computer or smartphone. We report two cases of young adults with a prominent neck wrinkle. In case 1, a 29-year-old woman with a neck wrinkle was treated with six intradermal radiofrequency (RF) procedures. Her neck wrinkle was significantly improved with the RF treatment. In case 2, a 32-year-old woman with a wrinkle and generalized light brownish tiny papules on the neck was treated with three intradermal RF procedures simultaneously with 30% glycolic acid peeling. Her wrinkle and skin tone were improved dramatically. We conclude that intradermal RF has a considerable efficacy for reducing neck wrinkles.

Comparative Study of Glycolic Acid Peeling vs. Tretinoin Peeling in Facial Pigmentary Lesions / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Chemical peels using glycolic acid and tretinoin are known to be safe and effective for treating facial pigmentary lesions. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated and compared the efficacy of tretinoin and glycolic acid peeling for facial pigmentary lesions by using a digital camera and L*a*b* color scale in Adobe Photoshop 5.5(R) METHODS: Thirty eight patients with facial pigmentary lesions were treated with 50% glycolic acid and 1% tretinoin peelings. The treatment was performed 2-3 times per week for a period of 2 weeks and a half. Exposure time was 2 minutes for the glycolic acid and 6 hours for the tretinoin. Before and after the treatment, pigmentary lesions were evaluated using self evaluation forms and the L*a*b* color system (Commission International de I'Eclairage) in Adobe Photoshop 5.5(r) (Adobe Systems Incorporated, USA). Corneometer (Corneometer(r) CM820, Courage Khazaka Electronic GmbH, Germany) was used for the evaluation of skin hydration before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Facial pigmentary lesions were significantly improved in 10 out of 38 patients after 50% glycolic acid peeling and in 12 out of 38 patients after 1% tretinoin peeling. The state of hydration of the treated skin improved significantly after the peeling using both 50% glycolic acid and 1% tretinoin. CONCLUSION: Topical 1% tretinoin peeling is as effective as 50% glycolic acid peeling in the treatment of facial pigmentary lesions and more frequent peeling results in quicker improvement than the previous studies without significant side effects.

Comparative Study of Glycolic Acid Peeling vs. Vitamin C-iontophoresis in Melasma / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Glycolic acid has become popular and could provide an alternative choice to the current depigmenting agent. Vitamin C has been known as strong reducing agent and is supposed to retard synthesis of melanin pigment. Iontophoresis is emerging technologies capable of enhancing drug penetration through stratum corneum. Iontophoretic drug delivery may be easier following the chemical enhancer pretreatment OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the efficacy of vitamin C-iontophoresis and glycolic acid peeling for melasma. METHODS: 34 patients with facial melasma were treated with 30% glycolic acid peeling or vitamin C-iontophoresis or 30% glycolic acid peeling combined with vitamin C-iontophoresis. The treatment was performed weekly for a period of 12 weeks. Iontophoresis was performed for 6 minutes under a constant direct current of 0.3-1.0 mA/cm2. The exposure time for glycolic acid were 2 minutes. Before and after 12 weeks treatment, the state of melasma was documented using by the modified version of Melasma Area and Severity Index(mMASI) and Mexameter MX16(R). We also measured vitamin C2-phosphate flux by in vitro iontophoresor and HPLC assay. RESULTS: The mean scores of both mMASI and Mexameter MX16(R) after 12-week treatment were lower than those of baseline in all groups(p<0.05). Increasing vitamin C2-Phosphate concentration and increasing current density correlated with larger flux, and the flux in the first 40 minutes of the experiment appeared to be constantly larger than the steady-state flux during the period of the rest of the experiment, regardless of the current density. Pretreatment by peeling with glycolic acid did not significantly affect the vitamin C2-Phosphate flux through normal skin in vitro. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment by peeling with glycolic acid did not have a major impact on the vitamin C2-Phosphate flux in melasma patient.