CONTROVERSIES IN AESTHETIC MEDICINE:
6. SKIN TIGHTENING METHODS – THE MYTH OF COLLAGEN SHRINKAGE

ILJA L. KRUGLIKOV

KEY WORDS: Skin Tightening, collagen shrinkage, RF treatments

SUMMARY:
Although skin tightening (ST) treatments based on a heat application to the skin are very widespread in aesthetic medicine, their theoretical basis is not really clear. Contribution of so called collagen shrinkage phenomenon to ST processes must be considered as very doubtful. Required temperatures and treatment times, potential cell death in a treated region by temperatures over 45°C, strong dependency of this effect on different controllable and uncontrollable parameters as well as the phenomenon of stiffness loss after collagen shrinkage speak distinctly against significant contribution of this phenomenon to clinical results which can be often observed after ST treatments.