Facial Rejuvenation with Fractional CO₂ Laser: Evidence in Latin Skins

Fractional carbon dioxide (CO₂) laser is the standard treatment in facial rejuvenation for light skin phototypes; nevertheless, in Latin America, it is one of the most performed procedures on phototypes III-V.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the improvement in facial skin aging in Latin skins with fractional CO₂ laser and its side effects in a period of 3 months.

Descriptive multicenter cross-sectional study including 165 patients from 2 medical centers in Latin America who attended from 2014 to 2021. Data were collected from medical records and assessment of facial aging was performed through photographic records by two independent investigators. An arithmetic mean was obtained for each variable and for each researcher, subsequently the obtained values were averaged to find the overall average improvement according to the intervention and skin phototype. A Cohen's Kappa Concordance Test was performed to determine the agreement between observers beyond chance.

Significant improvement in fine lines, mottled pigmentation, and overall skin appearance was observed in patients treated with fractional CO₂ laser with or without platelet-rich plasma. As for side effects, only one patient presented with herpes simplex.

There are few studies to date that evaluate the use of fractional CO₂ laser in Latin skins, through this research, it is evident that this technology has good results for facial rejuvenation in this type of patients and few side effects.