Carboxytherapy is an aesthetic medicine treatment that firms the skin of the eyelids, thickens the facial dermis and reduces under-eye circles around the eye contour. Carboxytherapy involves injecting carbon dioxide gas under the skin to restore its suppleness and elasticity. This procedure is indicated for women and men with skin laxity of the face and eyelids, or pronounced under-eye circles.
Note: This treatment is no longer performed at our practice. Depending on the indication, it has been replaced by combined peel sessions, Icon laser, LaseMD Ultra or Keybody-Skin. These treatments generally offer more significant results than carboxytherapy.
Principle of carboxytherapy
A carboxytherapy session is an aesthetic medicine technique that involves injecting sterile medical carbon dioxide gas under the skin using a very fine needle.
Carboxytherapy has been used since the 1930s to treat conditions of vascular origin (notably leg ulcer healing) and, for about ten years, in aesthetic skin medicine and facial treatments.
The injection of carbon dioxide improves microvascularization of the treated area, promoting skin healing and renewal. The increase in blood flow is due to the dilation of vessels following the CO2 injection and to the stimulation of their development (angiogenesis). Increased oxygenation of the treated tissues improves skin hydration as well as the production of collagen, elastic fibers and melanocyte cells (which give skin its color).
Effects of carboxytherapy on the face and eyelids
Carboxytherapy is indicated for treating skin laxity of the facial oval, periocular under-eye circles and eyelids.
Treating skin laxity of the face and décolletage:
By stimulating tissue vascularization as well as the activity of the cells that produce melanin and collagen, carboxytherapy improves skin elasticity around the facial oval, the neck and the décolletage.
CO2 injection is an aesthetic medicine technique that reduces skin laxity, particularly on thin skin such as that of the facial oval, neck and décolletage. Three to five sessions are generally needed to achieve the desired result on the skin.
Alternatives to carboxytherapy: A peel, in particular the biorevitalizing peel, can be a good alternative to carboxytherapy, particularly for treating skin laxity of the face, neck and décolletage. Keybody-Skin is also an interesting and more effective alternative for deeply regenerating the skin and thus treating skin laxity.
Treating under-eye circles and eyelids with carboxytherapy:
Carboxytherapy is an aesthetic medicine technique indicated for improving the periocular area. It can indeed treat blue or brown circles and wrinkles around the eyelids. The procedure involves injecting CO2 into the superficial layers of the skin using a fine mesotherapy needle.
This injection causes painless swelling for a few minutes. The action of the gas improves tissue vascularization, which reduces the appearance of under-eye circles. If the circles do not disappear completely, their appearance is greatly improved by the treatment.
Carboxytherapy also reduces wrinkles, as the skin regains elasticity due to the oxygenation induced by the CO2 injection.
Carboxytherapy is also indicated for stretch marks on the abdomen, hips, breasts and buttocks.
What happens during a carboxytherapy session and recovery
The procedure takes place at the surgeon's practice.
A carboxytherapy session is only slightly painful; it consists of small pricks with a very fine needle. It therefore requires no anesthesia.
Since CO2 is a substance naturally involved in the body's functioning, carboxytherapy carries no risk of allergy.
The surgeon performs the carbon dioxide injections using a fine carboxytherapy needle at a flow rate of around 80 to 90 cc/minute. A carboxytherapy session lasts between 15 and 30 minutes.
After the procedure, the skin reddens due to the dilation of the vessels. This redness then disappears within a few hours.
How many carboxytherapy sessions are needed?
The number of sessions needed to achieve the desired result varies depending on the area treated. Generally, 3 to 5 sessions are needed to significantly improve skin elasticity and color. After the initial treatment, the result can be maintained with follow-up sessions roughly every 3 to 6 months.
