If you thought carbon dioxide was used only to fizz up aerated drinks, here’s a revelation — it’s the main component in a new beauty treatment called carboxytherapy. This procedure may soon become so sought-after that it could quickly edge out Botox, once considered the most effective cosmetic treatment to eliminate the visible effects of ageing.
This new form of treatment, known as carboxy for short, is non-surgical and it involves the injection of carbon dioxide gas into the skin to kill fat cells, stimulate blood flow, and improve skin elasticity.
Carboxy-therapy can also be used to ease away wrinkles and lines from the face and neck area, remove crow’s feet near the eyes and even eliminate stretch marks from the hips and thighs!
While carboxytherapy is still relatively new in India, experts attribute its growing popularity to its minimal side-effects. It has a wider use, too — carboxytherapy does not have only cosmetic applications, it is also commonly used to control obesity and related diseases.
Elaborating on carboxytherapy, Dr Ashok Kumar Mohapatra, a consultant bariatric surgeon explains, “With this treatment, an injection filled with carbon dioxide gas is injected below the skin. The gas works with the cell molecules and gives a smooth appearance overall.”
Medical experts say this is not a new discovery, but that it is known to have been used/ discovered by the French in the 1930s.
Cosmetic surgeons say that this is an effective treatment sans side-effects because its biggest advantage is that carbon dioxide is a natural constituent of our bodies. “We breathe in oxygen and exhale out carbon dioxide, so in that sense it doesn’t harm or cause damage to any part of the body. Also, it’s a more natural filler when compared to Botox, which uses synthetic substances. Basically, what it does is boost the flow of oxygen in the blood vessels and this leads to a whole lot of other effects like improvement in skin elasticity, etc. which makes one look younger,” says Dr Mrinalini Kokate, a cosmetic specialist and a member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.
While this procedure might just edge out Botox soon, specialists say that one needs to keep certain things in mind while going in for carboxytherapy. “One must first and foremost only approach a qualified expert,” explains Dr Bhavana Pandey, a consultant plastic surgeon. “Research about the effects of this therapy is still going on because it is relatively new. But those who undergo carboxytherapy are advised not to exert too much physical pressure and contact with water for some time until the effects of the therapy actually sink in,” she adds.