The effectiveness of the combined use of RF therapy and laser technology in the correction of involutive changes in the skin of the face

Bipolar radio-frequency devices have all the theoretical prerequisites for use in combination with phototechnologies, while the properties of electro-optical synergy are manifested.

Material and method. The study included 125 patients aged 40 to 50 years. Depending on the therapy, patients were divided into 4 groups and subgroups A and B, depending on the identified predictors of the effectiveness of laser therapy.

The results of the study. After applying the combined methods, a more significant improvement in the quality characteristics of the skin was noted: an increase in skin moisture in the 1A group, the corneometry index increased by 24.6%, in the 1st group — by 28.3%, in the 2A group — by 38.9%, in the 2B group — by 37.3%, in the 3A group — by 29.1%, in the 3B group — by 27.5%, in the 4A group — by 38.8%, in the 4B group — by 38.8%; an increase in skin elasticity in group 1A, the Ua/Uf indicator increased by 13.2%, in group 1B — by 13.9%, in group 2A — by 27.9%, in group 2B — by 29.0%, in group 3A — by 14.9%, in the 3B group — by 14.6%, in the 4A group — by 28.2%, in the 4B group — by 28.2%, which was accompanied by a more pronounced decrease in the severity of wrinkles according to profilometry. The use of laser therapy (an erbium or neodymium laser) and microneedle RF therapy contributes to a more significant restoration of the epidermal-dermal structure of the skin, which is confirmed by ultrasound data: the microrelief has improved by more than 3 times compared with monotherapy, the thickness of the dermis is 2.2 times and acoustic density 1.7 times.

Conclusions. Combined methods, to a greater extent than mono-laser therapy, contribute to improving the quality of life of patients according to the dynamics of the LHC index, which decreased in groups 1 and 3 by an average of 47.1% and 44.4% versus 57.8% and 64.3% in 2 and 4 groups, while there was a significant difference in the values of the index of HSCI in groups A and B (p < 0.01). In accordance with the VAS and GAIS indicators, the optimal effect after a course of therapy with preservation of the results after 1 year was achieved in 25/12.5% of patients in group 1A, in 46.7/33.3% in group 1B, 7/37.5% of patients of group 2A, 78.6/71.4% of patients of group 2B, 33.3/20.0% of patients of group 3A, 50.0/25% of patients 3B groups, 58.8/58.8% and 75.0/75.0% in patients 4A and 4B of the group, respectively, which indicates the high efficiency of the combined methods and the persistence of the results.