Treatment of Skin Laxity of the Lower Face and Neck
in Older Individuals with a Broad-Spectrum Infrared Light Device

Non-ablative infrared and radiofrequency energy sources have been shown to reduce skin laxity, but studies have focused on subjects with mild to moderate degenerative changes.

Titan® (Cutera, Inc., Brisbane, CA), a broad-spectrum infrared device, delivers light with wavelengths between 1,100 and 1,800 nm, targeting water. This allows for an even distribution of heat in the treatment zone. As collagen is heated, it undergoes denaturation into an amorphous state. This leads to shortening of collagen fibrils and subsequent tissue tightening.

The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an infrared light device for the treatment of skin laxity in older subjects with soft tissue ptosis of the lower face and neck.

Thirteen female subjects, ages 58 to 83 years old (average: 64), with ptotic soft tissue were treated with the Titan® V infrared light device.

Treatment area extended from the nasolabial fold to the preauricular area and from the malar prominence to the clavicle. Fluence ranged between 30 and 36 J/cm², depending on patient comfort.

Three passes of adjacent pulses were applied over the entire treatment area. Each subject underwent 2 treatments spaced one month apart.

Subjects returned at 1, 3, and 6 months after the second treatment for photographic documentation and follow-up evaluation.

• All treatments were well tolerated without the use of topical anesthesia with mild, transient erythema as the only noted side effect.
• Noticeable improvement was seen, at six months, in 11 of 12 subjects --with 1 subject lost to follow-up.
• Changes, including improved mandibular definition, increased cervicomental angularity, and decreased skin redundancy, were dramatic for subjects in whom excess skin descended separately from deeper soft tissue.
• Improvement was mild to moderate when descended skin stayed attached to the subcutaneous tissue.
• The 1 subject showing no noticeable improvement presented with jowls formed by fat descent without excess skin.

This study reinforces the documented safety and efficacy of the infrared light device in reducing skin laxity.

The study further illustrates that infrared skin tightening is a viable approach for improving lower face and neck contour in older patients.

Improvement is most dramatic in those patients for whom loss of definition is due, at least in part, to excess skin that descends separately from the underlying structures.

Study was supported, in part, by a research grant from Cutera, Inc.