1. Quantitative evaluation of skin shrinkage associated with non-invasive skin tightening: a simple method for reproducible linear measurement using microtattoos
- Author
-
Dennis P. West, Emily Poon, Alexandra Weil, Arielle N. Kauvar, Murad Alam, Emir Veledar, Marisa Pongprutthipan, Jelena Vasic, Michael Nodzenksi, Jillian H. Swary, Wanjarus Roongpisuthipong, Brian R. Chen, Shivani Nanda, Amanda Maisel, Sanjana Iyengar, and Natalie A. Kim
- Subjects
Adult ,Accuracy and precision ,Randomization ,Radio Waves ,Instrumentation ,Dermatology ,030207 dermatology & venereal diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,Length measurement ,0302 clinical medicine ,Medicine ,Humans ,Reliability (statistics) ,Shrinkage ,Aged ,Skin ,Tattooing ,business.industry ,Non invasive ,Ultrasound ,Reproducibility of Results ,030206 dentistry ,Middle Aged ,Skin Aging ,Treatment Outcome ,Surgery ,Female ,business ,Biomedical engineering - Abstract
Non-invasive skin-tightening devices can induce thermal denaturation and skin shrinkage via externally applied radiofrequency emissions or high-frequency ultrasound. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop and test a method for measurement of skin reduction associated with application of such energy devices. Twenty-five healthy participants with mild to moderate skin laxity of the arms were enrolled. Pinpoint microtattoos were placed at each of the treatment sites to delineate two 6 × 12 cm rectangles per subject. A non-stretchable filament, tape and marking pen apparatus was used to measure the size of each rectangle before treatment and at follow-up visit by two blinded investigators. After randomization, one side received a single pass with a radiofrequency device (6.78 MHz), while the contralateral side received multiple passes. Participants underwent two treatment sessions to each side 2 weeks apart, and returned for follow-up 4 weeks after the second treatment. Length and area measurement were analyzed to assess precision and accuracy of measurements and to compare efficacy of treatment between pre- and post-treatment. Concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) demonstrated substantial inter-investigator reliability and precision in length measurements (CCC, 0.94 to 0.98 in pre-treatment; 0.95 to 0.98 in post-treatment). Measurements at the 6-week post-treatment follow-up demonstrated a statistically significant skin reduction in all six of the measured parameters. A simple skin measurement method requiring minimal instrumentation can quantitatively evaluate skin shrinkage associated with non-invasive skin-tightening devices.
- Published
- 2018