Impact of phoresis methods on therapy of cicatricial deformities of skin

Abstract

Scars can adversely affect the physical, mental and social well-being of the patient. Scar treatment is one of the most difficult and urgent tasks of aesthetic medicine. Due to the individual characteristics of the organism of each patient, it is rather difficult to choose a suitable adequate treatment method and predict the duration of therapy. Common methods for eliminating cicatricial deformities of the skin include external agents, chemical peels, mechanical resurfacing, laser resurfacing, injection techniques, physiotherapy methods, and surgical excision. Unfortunately, the frequency of relapses after monotherapy by any of the listed methods can reach 100%, therefore, the search for combined treatment methods is an urgent and priority direction. Cicatricial deformities lead to a change in the structures of the dermis and hypodermis, which significantly reduces the penetration of topical drugs, therefore, phoresis methods can be used to achieve a greater therapeutic effect. The mechanism of action of phoresis methods is based not only on the local effect of the physical factor and the drug itself, but also on the body’s response to the physiological effect through the mechanisms of neuroreflex and humoral regulation. This method of drug delivery avoids the side effects arising from the systemic use of the same drug. The disadvantages of this method in mono-application are insufficiently high efficiency and duration of the course. Phoresis methods can reduce the frequency of relapses in the treatment of cicatricial deformities of the skin in combination with existing methods. The review presents the main types of phoresis used in the treatment of various scars, as well as examples of the combined use of phoresis methods with other treatment options.