Background and objective

Anatomical facial changes as a result of aging are one of the main reasons for consultation in Facial Aesthetic Surgery.

We propose to determine the histological changes secondary to the application of carboxytherapy prior to rithidoplasty, taking into account the acceptance of patients in relation to improvement in the quality of their facial skin after treatment.

Methods

We applied 10 sessions of facial carboxytherapy 5 weeks before the surgical procedure of rhithidoplasty, infiltrating carbon dioxide percutaneously around the face and neck except for the right pre and post-auricular regions. Rhithidoplasty was performed by different surgeons and we encode and analyze the skin samples taken from the pre and post-auricular areas

Results

The study was conducted on 7 patients. Histology: the arrangement of the collagen fibers was spiral and nodules in the right preauricular zone (untreated area), while in the left preauricular zone the collagen arrangement was linear, statistically significant difference (p=0.0052). Proliferation of subcutaneous cellular tissue in the left preauricular area decreased in an evident way (p=0.03), while the postauricular area did not present this phenomenon (p=0.10).

Conclusions

Carboxitherapy prior to rhythidoplasty surgery is a safe procedure, that in our study did not prolong surgical time or increase the inflammatory response.

The histological changes found showed variations in the arrangement of collagen in the treated areas, with greater elasticity of the skin. There was also a decrease in cell proliferation in the area that received carboxytherapy without altering the structure of the dermis.

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