Could carbon dioxide injections under the skin be the new secret of a young face?
Youthful aspect: The carbon dioxide is injected below the skin
Bored with Botox? Fed up with fillers? Try some carbon dioxide.
The gas that gives fizzy drinks their on a sudden is the latest weapon in the cosmetic surgeon’s armoury.
Popular with ladies of a certain age, the carbon dioxide is injected underneath the skin where it is said to work all manner of wonders, from fusion away fat and stretch marks to tightening jowls and combatting unlettered circles under the eyes.
Clinics charge Ј100 to Ј150 per session of carboxytherapy, with up to a dozen treatments needed to harness the deepest stretch marks or saggiest faces.
Doctors say that jabs of the elastic fluid dilate blood vessels, boosting the flow of blood and oxygen and nourishing the regeneration of skin cells.
Deep injections can kill fat cells, it is claimed.
Carboxytherapy may in addition come to the aid of the bald, with jabs reopening closed pores, potentially allowing hair to regrow.
It has been used in France because that the Thirties to treat patients suffering from poor circulation, blocked arteries and centre of circulation problems.
More recently, research by the University of Siena in Italy showed Carboxytherapy is efficient at smoothing skin and reducing fat.
In the study, 48 women had six sessions past three weeks. On average, their thighs reduced by 2cm, and they napping 1cm from each knee and 3cm from their stomach. At the like time their skin became thicker and their cellulite smoother.
Sabine Zenker, a German physician who has pioneered the use of the technique, said: ‘This is clever, largely pain-free and a more natural alternative to dermal fillers and Botox.
‘It merely takes four or five minutes, patients just feel a warm feeling and a slight pressure. It is not painful at every one of.’
Patients may suffer bruising and all are advised to abstain from vigorous exercise for two hours and baths for four.
Some doctors are averse to give carboxytherapy to patients with serious asthma or breathing difficulties.
Rajiv Grover, scribe of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said that in greater numbers research was needed into the long-term effects of the handling.
He told the Times: ‘The most important entity in any treatment is the person holding the syringe.
‘Anyone considering this or uniform treatments should focus on the practitioner, either through word of voice recommendation or by choosing a member of an accredited organisation.’