A Randomized Controlled Study of an
HMWHA
‐Containing Mask in Skin Repair Following Fractional
CO
2
Zongzhou Wu, Yun Wang, Wei Li, Yu Shi, Yijie Zheng, Zhong Shen, Ruiping Wang, Wei Zhang ABSTRACT
Objective
The main objective of this study was to evaluate the overall clinical efficacy of a high‐molecular‐weight hyaluronic acid (HMWHA)‐containing mask in improving skin damage in subjects after ablative fractional laser treatment.
Methods
Subjects who underwent ablative fractional CO 2 laser treatment were randomly assigned to two groups for postoperative repair intervention: the control group used a self‐made simple cream, and the treatment group used a HMWHA‐containing mask plus the single cream. The pre‐laser skin condition was assessed. The primary outcome measures included transepidermal water loss and erythema index of the facial skin in different intervention groups after laser treatment. Secondary outcome measures included melanin index and epidermal hydration of the facial skin in different intervention groups after laser treatment; clinical assessment of postoperative skin status, including erythema, edema, and desquamation; and subjects' product experience, including burning sensation, itching, and pain. The time points for testing the HMWHA‐containing mask on facial skin were 0.5 h after surgery and postoperative Days 1, 3, 7 ± 1, 14 ± 1, and 28 ± 2. Repeated‐measures ANOVA (for skin instrument test data) and the Wilcoxon rank‐sum test (for subjective ordinal rating data) were used for comparative analysis of the assessment data, and LSD posttests following two‐way ANOVA were applied to continuous time‐series facial data. A difference was considered statistically significant at p < 0.05.
Results
A total of 105 subjects were enrolled, including 64 females and 41 males; 25 participants were screened out and did not enter the study (17 females and 8 males), and 80 subjects completed the clinical observation. The subjects were aged 21–39 years, with a mean age of 28.10 ± 4.67 years. In both the control group and the treatment group, TEWL (transepidermal water loss) values showed a marked peak on Day 1, then decreased significantly on Days 3 and 7, which was associated with laser‐induced skin barrier damage. In both groups, epidermal moisture measurements showed a distinct downward trend on Days 1 and 3, which was opposite to the trend in TEWL values and was related to the skin barrier repair process after laser treatment. On Days 3, 7, 14, and 28, epidermal hydration in the treatment group was higher than that in the control group, indicating that the intervention enhanced repair of skin barrier. The erythema index (EI) in both groups decreased over time; on Day 3, the treatment group showed a significant reduction compared with the control group, with a statistically significant difference ( p < 0.05). The melanin index (MI) in both groups increased on Day 3 and then gradually declined on Days 7, 14, and 28.
Conclusion
This trial showed that the HMWHA‐containing mask can alleviate erythema and edema after ablative fractional CO 2 laser treatment of the face, reduce transepidermal water loss, maintain skin surface hydration, reduce desquamation, shorten recovery time, and promote rapid repair of skin damage caused by fractional CO 2 laser treatment.