Is topical anesthesia useful in noninvasive skin tightening using radiofrequency?
GROUND: The radiofrequency (RF) system has been applied to Asian skin for noninvasive skin tightening. The only drawback is the pain during the treatment. OBJECTIVE: The relationships between the effectiveness of a topical anesthetic at various RF levels and the respective treatment results were compared and assessed after 3 months. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty-four females, ranging in age from 30 to 60 years, were divided into three groups of 28 subjects each. In all groups, the entire bilateral cheeks were treated. Group A underwent RF treatment (ThermaCool TC, Thermage, Hayward, CA, USA) with topical anesthesia and group B without anesthesia, and in group C, half of the face was treated with anesthesia and the other half was not. The degree of pain was recorded. Digital photographs of the patients pre- and post-treatment were objectively assessed by double-blinded physicians. Subjective assessment was performed with questionnaires. RESULTS: The average treatment levels for groups A
