Bipolar and multipolar radiofrequency.

Background: The increased demand for anti-aging treatments over the past decade has fueled the development of multimodality devices. This allows for more efficacious treatment of dermal defects, excess adiposity, and skin laxity. Radiofrequency (RF) devices are constantly evolving and consequently adding multiple indications for their use.

Facial volume augmentation in 2014: overview of different filler options.

Volume loss is considered to be one of the major contributors to facial aging. Therefore, the restoration of facial volume and contour changes has become an important treatment approach in aesthetic dermatology in recent years. In October 2013 the FDA approved for the first time ever an injectable dermal filler for the augmentation of age-related volume loss.

New tattoo approaches in dermatology.

Tattoos have fascinated mankind for centuries. Although these body marks were once considered to be permanent, technical and scientific progress in recent years has made it possible to remove tattoos by various treatment modalities. Contemporary technology involves the use of nonablative quality-switched lasers, which are considered to be the gold-standard treatment option for the removal of unwanted tattoo ink.

Histological and electron microscopic analysis of fractional micro-plasma radio-frequency technology effects.

Objective: The aim of this explorative study was to investigate the histological effects of a novel micro-plasma radio-frequency technology for skin rejuvenation the assessment of different parameters.

Methods: Thirty guinea pigs were randomly selected and were distributed into three treatment groups: 40W/10KJ, 60W/10KJ, and 80W/10KJ. The treated skin was analyzed immediately, one week and one month post-treatment using histology and transmission electron microscope (TEM).

The history of aesthetic medicine and surgery.

The history of beauty is as old as mankind itself--throughout history people have tried to improve their attractiveness and to enhance their beauty. The technical basis for many of nowadays procedures like lipoplasty, breast augmentation or rhinoplasty was thereby initiated more than a hundred years ago and evolved to the modern standards of today. The aim of this article is to recall the early days of aesthetic medicine and show the swift progress up to the highly specialized medical discipline of our modern time.

Prospective multicenter clinical trial of a minimally invasive temperature-controlled bipolar fractional radiofrequency system for rhytid and laxity treatment.

Background: A minimally invasive fractional bipolar radiofrequency (FRF) was developed.

Objective: To evaluate safety and efficacy of FRF in reducing face and neck rhytides and laxity.

Materials And Methods: This prospective, open-label, multicenter clinical trial enrolled 100 subjects with mild to severe facial and neck rhytides and laxity at seven centers in a per-protocol analysis.

Safety of dermal fillers.

Facial wrinkles are the most visible morphological change of the aging process. Therefore, several rejuvenation methods have been developed to cure these unloved signs of the times, such as botulinum toxin, laser treatments as well as topical active ingredients. Recently, dermal fillers have become a popular means of addressing contour defects and soft-tissue augmentation.

Fractional, nonablative Q-switched 1,064-nm neodymium YAG laser to rejuvenate photoaged skin: a pilot case series.

Background: Scientific research in the field of energy-based and light-based procedures made it possible to develop a very new and innovative generation of lasers that combine the benefit of a nonablative and a fractional laser device, promising skin rejuvenation without harming the epidermis. With this pilot case series, we performed one of the first systematic reports evaluating efficacy and safety of the fractional, nonablative Q-switched 1,064-nm neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser device in the treatment of rhytides of the face, neck, and chest.

Methods: Seven healthy female subjects (mean ± standard deviation age, 53.

Fractional laser skin resurfacing.

Laser skin resurfacing (LSR) has evolved over the past 2 decades from traditional ablative to fractional nonablative and fractional ablative resurfacing. Traditional ablative LSR was highly effective in reducing rhytides, photoaging, and acne scarring but was associated with significant side effects and complications. In contrast, nonablative LSR was very safe but failed to deliver consistent clinical improvement.

Combination laser-assisted liposuction and minimally invasive skin tightening with temperature feedback for treatment of the submentum and neck.

Background: There is need for better nonsurgical treatment of excessive neck fat and skin laxity.

Objective: To assess combination laser-assisted liposuction (LAL) and minimally invasive skin tightening (MIST) of the submentum and neck under direct temperature control.

Design: Randomized, prospective, three-arm study of single LAL-MIST treatment comparing 1,064, 1,319 nm, and blended 1,064 and 1,319 nm.

Aging facial skin: infrared broad band light technologies.

The application of infrared broadband light is the more recent addition of nonsurgical laser and light-based treatment for skin laxity and rhytids. Infrared broadband light, when used with the mobile technique, offers a painless, safe, nonsurgical alternative treatment option for treatment of skin laxity on the face and neck. Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated improvements in skin laxity correlated histologically with neocollagenesis and neoelastogenesis over a 6-12 month period.

Multi-center clinical study and review of fractional ablative CO2 laser resurfacing for the treatment of rhytides, photoaging, scars and striae.

Laser skin resurfacing has shifted over the past two decades from standard ablative resurfacing to non-ablative resurfacing and most recently, to fractional laser resurfacing. In this most recent category, fractional non-ablative lasers were first introduced followed by fractional ablative lasers, which offer an improved balance between safety and efficacy. In the current article, a review of fractional ablative resurfacing is presented alongside the results from a multi-center clinical study employing the fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser (SmartXide DOT, DEKA) for the treatment of rhytides, photoaging, scars and striae distensae.

Blinded, randomized, quantitative grading comparison of minimally invasive, fractional radiofrequency and surgical face-lift to treat skin laxity.

Objectives: To quantify the improvements in laxity from the surgical face-lift and to perform a randomized, blinded comparison with the clinical effects of a novel, minimally invasive fractional radiofrequency (FRF) system.

Study Design: Randomized, blinded, comparative trial.

Patients: Fifteen sequential patients with facial skin laxity enrolled in the trial and completed FRF treatment and follow-up.

Assessment of the mobile delivery of infrared light (1100-1800 nm) for the treatment of facial and neck skin laxity.

Background: Previous studies have shown that although infrared light and radiofrequency delivered by stationary application is safe and effective for the treatment of rhytides, a mobile delivery of radiofrequency energy can render the treatment as painless. In addition, few studies have defined and assessed efficacy of these infrared treatments in treating laxity by quantitative grading.

Objective: This prospective study assesses the safety, efficacy, and pain profile of the application of infrared light with a mobile delivery method for the treatment of facial and neck skin laxity as assessed by a tested, quantitative grading scale.

Medical Bioethics in Dermatologic Procedures.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a hearing on the safety of dermal fillers in November of 2008 which generated a great deal of media attention and, more importantly, got our attention. The adverse reporting data came from the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database and numbered 930 cases over the past 6 years, bringing the complication rate to an estimated 1 in 10 000. Some of the complications were severe, such as facial palsy or anaphylaxis; while others included scarring.

Ablative skin resurfacing with a novel microablative CO2 laser.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) laser skin resurfacing has been a mainstay of facial rejuvenation since its introduction in the mid 1990s. Recently, a new generation of fractional or microablative CO2 lasers has been introduced to the marketplace. According to the concept of fractional photothermolysis, these lasers ablate only a fraction of the epidermal and dermal architecture in the treatment area.

Unipolar radiofrequency treatment to improve the appearance of cellulite.

Background: Previous studies suggest that radiofrequency (RF) energy may be effective as a treatment for cellulite.

Objective: This bilateral paired blinded comparative study assesses the efficacy and safety of a unipolar RF device for improving the appearance of cellulite using a new quantitative cellulite grading system.

Methods: In this randomized, blinded, split-design study, 10 individuals (aged 32-57 years) with a clinically observable excess of subcutaneous fat and cellulite (minimum grade 2 out of 4) on the thighs received up to six unilateral treatments (number of treatments at the investigator's discretion) at 2-week intervals with unipolar RF.

Unipolar versus bipolar radiofrequency treatment of rhytides and laxity using a mobile painless delivery method.

Background: Previous studies have shown that radiofrequency (RF) energy is a safe and effective treatment for rhytide-reduction.

Objective: This randomized, blinded, split-face study assesses the safety and efficacy of the unipolar versus bipolar handpieces on an RF device with a mobile delivery method for the treatment of rhytides and laxity using quantitative grading.

Methods: In this randomized, blinded, split-face design study, 10 subjects (aged 18-75 years) with a clinically observable excess of rhytides and laxity (minimum grade 2 out of 4) on the face received four treatments at 1-week intervals with random assignment of unipolar RF to one side and bipolar RF to the contralateral side.