The use of Carboxytherapy alone or in combination with fractional CO 2 laser for facial rejuvenation: A split‐face comparative study

BACKGROUND A wide variety of minimally invasive treatments are available for skin aging. Recently, carbon dioxide therapy (CDT) or carboxytherapy was used in many cosmetic indications including facial rejuvenation. OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of CDT alone versus combined CDT and fractional CO2 laser in management of facial aging. METHODS Twenty-Five female patients with bilateral and symmetrical facial aging were included in the study. The right (Rt) hemiface received 8 sessions of CDT whereas the left (Lt) side was treated with combined technique (6 sessions of CDT and 2 sessions of fractional CO2 in between. Clinical and objective evaluation using 3D skin analysis, histological, and morphometric analysis were performed. RESULTS Clinical evaluation demonstrated that all patients (100%) were satisfied with no significant difference between both sides of the face (P > .05). Regarding texture and pigmentation improvement, the Lt side (combined) showed significant improvement compared to the Rt side (P .05) in the 3D percent of wrinkles improvement between both sides. The Lt side showed more significant increase in epidermal thickness after treatment when compared to the Rt side (P