ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma in the anti-age therapy of facial skin
1 Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Faculty of General Medicine,Pirogov Russian National Research University, Moscow
2 Moscow Research and Medical Center of Dermatology and Cosmetology, Moscow
3 Institute of Plastic Surgery and Cosmetology, Moscow
Correspondence should be addressed: Vladimir Korotky
Leninsky 117, bl. 6, Moscow; moc.liamg@knkbkv
Traditionally, anti-age therapies employ ultraviolet radiation and exposure to ozone, nitric oxide and electromagnetic fields. Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma (NTAPP) combines the effects of all those techniques. The aim of our study was to assess the feasibility of low-dose NTAPP application in anti-age facial skin therapy. Ten female patients aged 50 to 55 years were examined and three facial zones were chosen for the experiment: the T-zone (the central part of the forehead) and the “crow’s feet” areas on the right and left sides of the face. Ultrasonography was performed on the DUB SkinScaner before the treatment course and 24 hours after the last treatment. Cleansed skin was exposed to a low-energy NTAPP helium jet generated by the HELIOS system (Plasma Research and Production, Russia). Exposure time was 5 min per zone. Each participant received 10 NTAPP procedures on alternate days. Before therapy, the skin condition in all participants fitted into morphotype 3. Ultrasonography of the studied zones revealed a considerable deformation of the skin surface, a thickening of the epidermis with a distinct border between the epidermis and the dermis, a slight thinning of the dermis, its relatively homogenous echogenicity, and a blurred border between the dermis and the hypodermis. After the course was completed, all patients demonstrated an evener skin surface, reduced epidermal thickness and reduced acoustic density of the epidermis and the dermis; the dermis tended to have above average thickness. The most significant changes were observed for the wrinkles: they became less pronounced in the “crow’s feet” area. Exposure to NTAPP caused the epidermal corneum to diminish in thickness; it also stimulated microcirculation and improved the condition of the hydrolipidic film, all of which ultimately led to the effacement of wrinkles. Treatment produced no adverse effects on the skin or its appendages.
Keywords: skin aging, non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma, wrinkles