Carboxytherapy is a non-surgical cosmetic medicine treatment for dermatology. Carboxytherapy employs injections or transdermal application to infuse gaseous carbon dioxide below the skin into the subcutaneous tissue through a needle or skin. It has a necrotizing effect on fat tissue fat cells, stimulates blood flow, improves the skin's elasticity and reduces the appearance of cellulite.[1] It has also become a popular treatment for stretch marks.[2] It is non-toxic and less invasive than operations like liposuction.[3] Carboxytherapy leads to a temporary decrease in subcutaneous fat but has shown to reoccur again after a 28 week period.[4] It can be applied for those with androgenic alopecia or alopecia areata.[5]
As of 2018, Carboxytherapy has not approved by the FDA.[3] Risks include inadvertent lipolysis and emphysema.[6]
Carboxytherapy was discovered in 1932 in Royat, France after patients had been soaking in carbon-rich pools with wounds healing and circulatory diseases improving such as Raynaud's syndrome. In the 1950s French doctors began injecting carbon dioxide for treating cellulite.[3]
^Alam M, Sadhwani D, Geisler A, Aslam I, Makin IR, Schlessinger DI, et al. (August 2018). "Subcutaneous infiltration of carbon dioxide (carboxytherapy) for abdominal fat reduction: A randomized clinical trial". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 79 (2): 320–326. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.04.038. PMID29698710. S2CID13798523.
^Doghaim NN, El-Tatawy RA, Neinaa YM, Abd El-Samd MM (December 2018). "Study of the efficacy of carboxytherapy in alopecia". Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 17 (6): 1275–1285. doi:10.1111/jocd.12501. PMID29460509. S2CID3439462.
^Medrano K, Arruda S, Oza N, Sadick N (April 2021). "Carboxytherapy Mask as Post Nanofractional Radiofrequency Treatment for Improvement of Facial Skin Quality and Photoaging". Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 20 (4): 461–465. doi:10.36849/JDD.5856. PMID33852250. S2CID242956193.
^Ahramiyanpour N, Shafie'ei M, Sarvipour N, Amiri R, Akbari Z (May 2022). "Carboxytherapy in dermatology: A systematic review". Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 21 (5): 1874–1894. doi:10.1111/jocd.14834. PMID35124882. S2CID246632396.
^Elmorsy EH, Elgarem YF, Sallam ES, Taha AA (November 2021). "Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser Versus Carboxytherapy in Treatment of Striae Distensae". Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 53 (9): 1173–1179. doi:10.1002/lsm.23418. PMID33998005. S2CID234746340.
Brandi C, D'Aniello C, Grimaldi L, Caiazzo E, Stanghellini E (2004). "Carbon dioxide therapy: effects on skin irregularity and its use as a complement to liposuction". Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 28 (4): 222–225. doi:10.1007/s00266-004-2068-z. PMID15599534. S2CID13694068.
Brandi C, D'Aniello C, Grimaldi L, Bosi B, Dei I, Lattarulo P, Alessandrini C (2001). "Carbon dioxide therapy in the treatment of localized adiposities: clinical study and histopathological correlations". Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 25 (3): 170–174. doi:10.1007/s002660010116. PMID11426306. S2CID25985611.