A Lot of Hot Air?

There is an article in the Cosmetic Surgery Times Vol 11 No 5 2008 on the subcutaneous injection of carbon dioxide (CO2). The treatment is called carboxytherapy.

Subcutaneous injections of carbon dioxide (CO₂) can safely and successfully treat cosmetic concerns such as skin laxity and fatty deposits that may remain following liposuction, as well as psoriasis and hair loss, says an expert based here. Additional uses for this treatment — called carboxytherapy — include stretch marks, scars and cellulite, he says.

This is the first time I have ever read or heard of carboxytherapy. So I did a search using carboxytherapy on Medscape -- no articles. I searched the database of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery -- no articles. I changed the search to carbon dioxide/ subcutaneous injections and got this one relevant hit:

• Carbon dioxide therapy in the treatment of localized adiposities: clinical study and histopathological correlations. Aesthetic Plast Surg, May 2001

I didn't do any better with a google search. At least not for scientific information. So back to the CST article, here is a description of carboxytherapy:

I've been using this technique for more than a year, and getting fantastic results," says Raphael Nach, M.D., a head and neck surgeon in private practice. He estimates that he has treated at least 40 patients for post-liposuction problems such as persistent islands of fatty tissue, skin irregularities and skin laxity. Dr. Nach explains that by adding CO₂ gas to the subcutaneous tissues, localized post-operative accumulations of fat can be reduced or eliminated." Alternative forms of treatment have been advised to assist the general recuperate process," he says, "but none have been as successful in eliminating these localized fatty deposits."

TECHNIQUE IN BRIEF The technique requires no anesthesia. First, one sterilizes the skin with Hibiclens (chlorhexidine topical antiseptic; Mölnlycke Health Care U.S., Norcross, Ga.) or its equivalent, he details. "Then a 30-gauge needle connected to the carboxytherapy machine is used to infiltrate the tissues with different volumes of carbon dioxide gas, depending on the condition that's being treated," Dr. Nach explains. A typical treatment site requires about 50 cc to 200 cc of gas, injected either once or twice a week, he says. Each session lasts 15 to 20 minutes. Depending on the treatment area, he says, four to six puncture sites with the 30-gauge needle may be necessary.

I found some references that state that this procedure is FDA approved (including Dr Nach), but according to the ASPRS website (2008) it isn't.

Carboxytherapy
Injection of carbon dioxide for cosmetic purposes, namely to treat cellulite. Not U.S. FDA approved.

I then tried a search of the FDA website and got no hits on carboxytherapy or carbon dioxide/ cellulite.

So for now I would suggest being very skeptical of any claims that carboxytherapy would improve anything. Dr Oliver or anyone else have any information on this? Preferably scientific information.