TOPLINE 

Tissue micro-coring technology (MCT) was associated with improvements in lower-face wrinkles and overall appearance in women with facial aging, with only mild and transient adverse events reported.

METHODOLOGY 

• Researchers conducted a retrospective, single-center chart review of 10 women (average age, 60.8) treated with tissue MCT between June 2022 and March 2023. (MCT, which entails removal of micro-cores of skin with coring needles, initiating a wound response, is approved by the FDA for treating moderate-to-severe wrinkles in the mid-to-lower face in adults ages 22 years and older with Fitzpatrick skin types I‐IV and for fractional skin resurfacing.)
• Participants underwent one or two treatments targeting the mid and lower face, including nasolabial folds, marionette lines, and perioral areas.
• Three blinded board-certified dermatologists assessed photographs using the Investigator Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (I-GAIS) and the Lemperle Wrinkle Severity Scale (LWSS).
• Primary endpoints included improvement in treatment areas using LWSS (6-point scale; with 0 indicating no wrinkles and 5 indicating very deep wrinkles) and I-GAIS (7-point scale ranging from +3 to -3; with +3 indicating very much improved and -3 indicating very much worse).
• Mean time from treatment to follow-up evaluation was 89 days.

TAKEAWAY 

• All patients demonstrated global aesthetic improvement, with a mean I-GAIS score of 1.7 and 40% achieved scores above 2 indicating “much improved.”
• For nasolabial folds, mean LWSS scores improved by 1.1 points, and 60% of patients achieved improvements greater than 1 point.
• For marionette lines, mean LWSS scores improved by 1.3, and 80% of patients experienced greater than 1-point improvement, and one subject achieved a mean improvement of 2.3 points. Mean LWSS scores improved by 0.6 points for lip lines, with 90% of patients improving and 30% achieving reductions greater than 1 point.
• No infections or scarring were reported, while post-treatment transient purpura and erythema resolved during follow-up.

IN PRACTICE

“Data from this retrospective study indicate that subjects treated using MCT experienced positive measurable outcomes, and that MCT may serve as an additional treatment option to consider when contemplating injectable filler,” the study authors wrote. “The device’s novel mechanism for microexcision of full‐thickness skin columns is complemented by the wound‐healing response, which induces both collagen and elastin,” they noted.

SOURCE

The study was led by Omar A. Ibrahimi, MD, PhD, Connecticut Skin Institute, Stamford, and was published in the August 2026 issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine and online on May 3.

LIMITATIONS 

The study was limited by its retrospective design, small sample size, inclusion of only female participants, and potential for selection bias.

DISCLOSURES

The study was funded by Cytrellis Biosystems. Ibrahimi and other authors disclosed receiving advisory and consulting fees, royalties from Cytrellis, Galderma, and Allergan and holding intellectual property with Cytrellis. Additional disclosures are noted in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.