Breakthrough Plasma Technology Delivers Dramatic Skin Regeneration With Minimal Downtime

Portrait^® Plasma Skin Regeneration

Plasma is used in Fluorescent Lighting, Computer Chips and Flat-Panel TVs. Now, the same technology is helping people look years younger

WALTHAM, Mass., May 10, 2006/PRNewswire/ -- A new anti-aging technology for the skin is now available in doctor's offices across the country. Portrait^® Plasma Skin Regeneration (Portrait^®) system represents a dramatic leap forward in the science of beauty -- one that uniquely addresses the growing demand for cosmetic improvement with predictable downtime and little to no risk of hypopigmentation, scarring, discoloration, or other complications associated with other more-aggressive anti-aging treatments.

Portrait^® is the first technology to employ a highly energized gaseous state known as plasma which produces a unique thermal profile at and below the skin's surface. This stimulates remodeling of the skin's architecture, replacing old damaged collagen with significant amounts of new collagen -- the key to quality, long-lasting improvement of skin. While most treatments offer specific but limited results, Portrait^® deals with multiple conditions simultaneously. More than three years of clinical testing have demonstrated unparalleled improvement in wrinkling, skin laxity, skin texture, acne scars*, pore size, and surface discoloration -- all at the same time.

The Power of Plasma:

Portrait^® works by delivering millisecond pulses of nitrogen-based plasma to the skin's surface via the system's novel hand piece. Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless gaseous element that when introduced to ultra-high frequency energy, is converted into a highly energized state, otherwise known as plasma. Because nitrogen is so inert, the amount of energy needed to turn it into plasma is very high; therefore, the amount of energy you can get out of it is equally high -- enabling the efficient delivery of energy to the skin. When directed from the hand piece, the plasma transfers its energy onto the skin without any direct contact or heat charring, causing a very controlled heating of tissue and a unique thermal profile.

Unlike other rejuvenation treatments that ablate the skin, Portrait^® does not ablate, leaving the skin surface intact. Rather, due to the unique thermal profile, it works effectively both at and below the skin's surface, with clinical studies showing continuing improvement a year later -- a unique and significant advantage that distinguishes Portrait^® from all other skin treatments.

Developed by Rhytec, "Portrait^® is unlike any technology used in cosmetic dermatology," reports Richard E. Fitzpatrick, MD, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at UCSD School of Medicine and one of the clinical investigators of Portrait^®. "Allowing the preserved outer layers to act as a protective dressing until new skin regenerates produces much faster healing and minimizes the risk of complications," explains Dr. Fitzpatrick. Indeed, not a single incidence of scarring or lasting pigmentary change occurred in more than 450 clinical study treatments. "We've found it to be quite safe," he notes.