WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Electrothermolysis of hyperactive sebaceous glands reduces facial seborrhea symptoms, according to the results of a study of 12 Japanese women published in the February issue of Dermatologic Surgery.
Toshio Kobayashi, M.D., of the Aoyama Kobayashi Clinic in Tokyo, Japan, and a colleague assessed the effect of electrothermolysis on the sebaceous glands of 15 women with facial seborrhea. The researchers used a 1.50-millimeter-long insulated needle to funnel a 40-watt high-frequency electrical current into forehead and cheek pores for a quarter-second to a half-second. The program involved four treatments lasting 60 to 90 minutes each, with a follow-up after six months.
The researchers report that histology revealed that the participants had fewer sebaceous glands after one and six months; each of the 12 participants who finished the six-month follow-up reported a sustained decrease in symptoms. Their condition showed a mean improvement score of 1.67 on a scale of 0.0 to 3.0, and the sebumeter showed a 31.5 percent mean decrease of skin surface lipids.
"Even though this is a pilot, uncontrolled clinical assessment study, electrothermolysis of sebaceous glands may be an effective and safe approach for facial seborrhea treatment," the authors write.
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