In vivo study of the effects of a portable cold plasma device and vitamin C for skin rejuvenation

Abstract

Nowadays, cold atmospheric plasma shows interesting results in dermatology. In the present study, a new portable cold plasma was designed for plasma skin rejuvenation (PSR) purposes. This device is safe and easy to use at beauty salons and homes. The effects of this device were investigated on the rat skins. Also, as a new method to improve PSR results, vitamin C ointment was combined with plasma. In this study, there were four groups of 5 Wistar rats. The first group received vitamin C ointment, the second received 5 min of high-voltage plasma, and the third and the fourth groups received 5 min of high- and low-voltage plasma and vitamin C ointment. This process was done every other day (3 sessions per week) for 6 weeks. To evaluate the thermal effect of plasma, the skin temperature was monitored. Also, the presence of reactive species was demonstrated by the use of optical spectroscopy. In addition, mechanical assays were performed to assess the effect of plasma and vitamin C on the tissue’s mechanical strength. The mechanical assays showed a positive impact of plasma on the treated tissue compared to the control group. Also, changes in the collagen level and thickness of the epidermal layer were examined in histological studies. The results indicated an increase in collagen levels after using plasma alone and an accelerated skin reaction after using vitamin C combined with plasma therapy. The epidermal layer’s thickness increased after applying high-voltage plasma, which indicates an increase in skin elasticity. This study demonstrates the positive effect of using the portable plasma device with vitamin C ointment on effective parameters in skin rejuvenation.

The quantitative investigation of spark plasma on skin parameters: skin elasticity, thickness, density, and biometric characteristics

“…Maintaining elasticity should be the rst step in skin aging treatment because the loss of elasticity is the earliest indicator of skin aging [3], [4]. Finally, this paper proved that Plasma Spark has the ability to improve skin thickness and density, and hence skin elasticity, most likely due to increased keratinocytes and broblasts [9], [13].…”

“…Finally, four weeks later, it increased to a mean of 174.9, with no signi cant change from pre-treatment levels. This theory, which holds that the plasma need not interact with the chromophore [13], [25], is supported by Figure 5.…”

“…All of this emphasizes the bene cial role of CAP in skin biology and offers pertinent justi cations in favor of using cold plasma to restore the skin's functional barrier and thereby enhance its health. Besides, the plasma is not required to interact with the chromophore [13], [25]. As a result, it produces more consistent results than ablative lasers [13], [34].…”

“…In addition to a mechanical effect that shapes the surface on which it impacts, the detached spots of the sublimation technique induce a thermal effect that promotes skin regeneration and extensive dermal broblast remodeling, including new collagen synthesis and deposition, while also stimulating rapid re-epithelialization [28]. Heat shocks can cause an increase in procollagen type I and procollagen type II expression [13]. As a result, they can stimulate cells to produce more collagen.…”

Open Questions in Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment in Head and Neck Cancer: A Systematic Review

“…They are commonly mixed with a small number of other gasses (e.g., O 2 ) to increase their chemical reactivity [ 23 ]. Recently, CAP has been investigated in several medical applications, such as blood coagulation [ 24 ], wound disinfection and healing [ 25 ], tissue and germicidal irradiation and sterilization [ 26 ], skin rejuvenation [ 27 ], tooth bleaching [ 23 ], material surface modifications and crosslinking [ 28 , 29 , 30 ], and to selectively eradicate cancer cells [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. In this last specific aim, two different types of tumor treatment using CAP have been described: direct exposure to a plasma jet or indirect exposure by a medium (named plasma-activated medium, PAM) previously exposed to cold plasma ( Figure 1 ) [ 34 ].…”