A pilot study evaluating the anti-aging benefits of a CO -emitting facial mask.

Background: Since 1936, injectable carboxytherapy has been used for the treatment of circulatory issues and lack of tissue trophism. In the last 25 years, it has been applied to aesthetic issues, especially those related to the signs and symptoms of skin aging. Presently, carboxytherapy is available as a combination of transcutaneous gels that produce CO with benefit for atrophic skin.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of a topical carboxy mask on facial photoaging after short term use of 4 weeks and long term use of 10 weeks.

Methods: The short term study was conducted for 14 days after 3 times weekly application of the facial mask for 1 h followed by a regression phase with evaluations at days 21 and 28. 11 healthy female subjects age 45-75 years were enrolled. Subjects applied the facial mask for 45 min, 3 times per week during the 2-week treatment period. The long term study was conducted for 10 weeks on 35 subjects 35-65 years with mild to moderate facial photoaging of Fitzpatrick skin types I-VI. Subjects underwent photography, elasticity, hydration, and VAS questionnaire assessments.

Results: The short term 4 week study demonstrated improvement in laser-Doppler measured blood flow and skin hydration. The long term 10 week study demonstrated improvement in firmness (16%, p = 0.001), sagging (9%, p = 0.023), and overall skin appearance (12%, p = 0.002). These findings were supported by the retraction time decrease at week 10 (-10%, p = 0.05).

Summary: The combination of two gels produced the liberation of CO , which improved short term skin hydration after 4 weeks of use and improved longer term skin elasticity after 10 weeks of use.