BACKGROUND

Studies on the efficacy of atmospheric plasma have focused mainly on chronic wounds, but plasma exposure could be a worthy competitor to laser technologies, demonstrating comparable results and a shorter rehabilitation period.

OBJECTIVE

To study the character of fractional plasma thermolysis effect on the skin in “plasma stimulation” mode through evaluation of morphological changes of epidermis and derma in laboratory animals.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The skin of young (1 month) and adult (1 year) rats was damaged with a fractionated plasma thermolysis device. Biopsy samples were obtained 30 min, 30 and 60 days after exposure.

RESULTS

Single exposure of adult rat skin to plasma increased the formation of new collagen fibers, proliferative activity of epithelial cells, and epidermal thickness up to the values of young rat skin by day 30. After 60 days, the epidermis thickness had increased compared to that of the intact adult rat, and there were no signs of fibrosis. The damage was localized mainly in the epidermis, when dry skin was exposed, and in the dermis when wet skin was exposed. The damage increased with the number of runs and depending on the distance from the electrode to the skin: when treated with a torch of 5 mm or more, the epidermis and dermis were intact. The treatment with 2—3 mm torch produced necrosis of the epidermis with the areas of thinning due to flattening of cells in all layers, and coagulation of collagen fibers on the dermis to a depth of 30—45 μm.

CONCLUSION

The relation of the fractional plasma thermolysis effects to the number of runs, type of surface, and the electrode-skin distance was established. The pronounced regenerative efficiency of the method has been shown, which makes its application in the treatment of acne, rosacea, onychomycosis, skin neoplasms, cosmetology promising.