12 replies to this topic

[no_hope]

http://www.skincentr...-treatment.html interesting read.

[Theoneandonly]

I really hope this works but I just don't want to set myself up for dissapointment

[Nope.avi]

Now this is interesting..: "Maintenance treatment is recommended every 6-12 months."

Filler.

[DRaGZ]

How much is the procedure, exactly?

Because regular fillers are around...$500 for most scarring treatments? The only primary reason I'd see the commit to Airgent is if there is some actual collagen reconstruction, but there is no solid evidence for that as of yet.

However, if it costs around the same as a regular filler, then why not.

[michael24]

By causing some damage by the delivery system and then flushing in the HA it will help with remodeling and healing. The filler angle may be temporary but, by its presence the HA will hopefully induce collagen production and healing. Another thing is that if this works there will not be a long recovery. I also wonder if they can mix treatments like Fraxel and Airgent.

I hate to use WIKIPEDIA but,
"Fetal wound healing and scarring
Lack of fibrous scarring is the primary feature of fetal wound healing. Even for longer periods, HA content in fetal wounds is still higher than that in adult wounds, which suggests that HA may, at least in part, reduce collagen deposition and therefore lead to reduced scarring. This suggestion is in agreement with the research of West et al., who showed in adult and late gestation fetal wound healing, removal of HA results in fibrotic scarring.

and

At young age the human body is very rich with hyaluronic acid, the reason young people have firm well hydrated skin and prompted healing process, however its quantity deteriorate dramatically with age which make skin susceptible to wrinkles, dehydration and infection. Due to this fact a lot of cosmeceutical companies have considered the important role of this molecule in fighting aging process and introduced it into their technology. Reducing the size of this molecule and finding ways to deliver it across the skin barrier was and still a matter of great importance.

[DRaGZ]

By causing some damage by the delivery system and then flushing in the HA it will help with remodeling and healing. The filler angle may be temporary but, by its presence the HA will hopefully induce collagen production and healing. Another thing is that if this works there will not be a long recovery. I also wonder if they can mix treatments like Fraxel and Airgent.

I hate to use WIKIPEDIA but,
"Fetal wound healing and scarring
Lack of fibrous scarring is the primary feature of fetal wound healing. Even for longer periods, HA content in fetal wounds is still higher than that in adult wounds, which suggests that HA may, at least in part, reduce collagen deposition and therefore lead to reduced scarring. This suggestion is in agreement with the research of West et al., who showed in adult and late gestation fetal wound healing, removal of HA results in fibrotic scarring.

and

At young age the human body is very rich with hyaluronic acid, the reason young people have firm well hydrated skin and prompted healing process, however its quantity deteriorate dramatically with age which make skin susceptible to wrinkles, dehydration and infection. Due to this fact a lot of cosmeceutical companies have considered the important role of this molecule in fighting aging process and introduced it into their technology. Reducing the size of this molecule and finding ways to deliver it across the skin barrier was and still a matter of great importance.

Yeah, I know, but, technically, inserting a needle and filling the skin with filler also causes damage, and many fillers are hyaluronic acid based as well. Hell, needling is a common method of acne scar revisal.

So, again, not really sure how this is different other than it looks fancier. And especially since there are no long-term studies.

If you were seriously considering this, I would be hard-pressed to wonder why you'd do this over normal fillers which are likely much cheaper.

[acnescar123]

Well there aren't really any disadvantages (other than cost) - so might be worth trying?

I think there are a few things that airgent might have going for it though:
1. The fact that its 3-6 treatments vs 1 with fillers. You're causing damage multiple times vs just once and giving it time to heal each time.
2. The filler is mixed with water or something like that - which as it gets absorbed by the skin it allows the collagen to fill up the gaps vs just filling it in with 100% filler and there being no space for the new skin to actually fill in. I think this is a bit more like subcision - where it allows the blood to pool in and then it gets absorbed?
3. This treatment goes in the center of the scar and from what i've read seems to go quite deep vs needles usually going in to the side or just under the scar (they don't really inject it in the middle of the scar deep enough to allow it to enter the part of the skin that actually needs healing)

There are some pics here
http://www.slideshar...09-presentation

Also a pretty good study here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20573176
http://www.dr-zenker...of_Cosmetic.pdf
RESULTS: All volunteers completed the three treatment sessions and were satisfied with the procedure. Three months after the last treatment session, according to the physicians' assessments, two patients had improvement of greater than 75% in acne scars, six had 50% to 75% improvement, and two had 25% to 50% improvement. Patient degree of satisfaction was similar to the physicians' assessment. There were no side effects except transient spot bleeding at entry points and slight edema that resolved within 48 hours.

There was also an 18 month follow up on a different study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21091682

Improvement can be seen as early as 1 month and as long as 18 months after treatment.

I think worse case you're paying $1500-2000 for something that costs $500 - but best case there's some improvement in collagen/scars long term. Also if there's touchup needed (every 6-12 mos) - I don't think it will be much more than just a normal syringe of HA.

Thought I would add some parts from the study (10 people acne scars one):

" All subtypes of acne scar
(ice pick, boxcar, and rolling scars) were treated"

"The patients were asked to complete a subjective
self-assessment using a 5-point scale; two felt that
they achieved mild improvement in two patients, five
achieved moderate improvement, and three achieved
strong improvement"

Few interesting points about it vs fillers:

"Deep penetration is achieved
because of its low viscosity, unlike the high viscosity
of fillers. It works for 6 to 8 weeks in the dermis on
the average."

"Second, the high-velocity HA particles induce a
controlled trauma, like subcision. They act as
‘‘nano-bullets’’ and disturb the dermal cells in their
passages, initiating a wound-healing process. The
triggered healing process stimulates growth factors and promotes the formation of new collagen fibers,
providing long-term skin remodeling.
Collagen
synthesis gradually replaces the HA’s immediate
aesthetic contribution."

Two pics as well:
http://i.imgur.com/nME8G.png
http://i.imgur.com/zqGft.png

Edited by acnescar123, 15 February 2013 - 09:38 PM.

[Theoneandonly]

The place I am going to it is $400 per session

[DRaGZ]

The place I am going to it is $400 per session

Oh, then it's tooooooooooooootally worth it. Go nuts. I also hope you get some permanent improvement out of it, but, worse comes to worse, you wouldn't have had less improvement than with traditional fillers that cost the same amount.

Edited by DRaGZ, 20 August 2012 - 04:26 PM.

[Theoneandonly]

But I bought a package of three sessins for $1200 and then I can go in for touch ups for 400

[DRaGZ]

cool

[no_hope]

How much is the procedure, exactly?

Because regular fillers are around...$500 for most scarring treatments? The only primary reason I'd see the commit to Airgent is if there is some actual collagen reconstruction, but there is no solid evidence for that as of yet.

However, if it costs around the same as a regular filler, then why not.

all your questions are answered in studies done on airgent,

with low cost, immediate improvement, collogen regeneration,low down time, and being able to treat the hardest scars (ice pick and box scar) honestly this is by far the best thing on the market for acne scars so far. too bad its not available eveyrwhere only certain citys in the world...

[DRaGZ]

All the studies showed was they were exactly like fillers except maybe some additional permanent improvement that may or may not be real.

I have yet to see how it's actually different from fillers.