Effects of a cream containing madecassoside, 5% panthenol, and copper‐zinc‐manganese on improving postlaser resurfacing wound healing: A split‐face, randomized trial

Dear Editor With the rapid social and economic development of economy and the elevation of quality of life, cosmetic surgeries have gradually gained popularity in the general population in China. Many people received laser surgery to improve their skin problems. However, the thermal effects of laser may lead to complications such as erythema, edema, crusting, burning, pain, itching, pigmentation, and even scar formation. We conducted a split-face, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel commercial nonsteroidal cream and a hospital-made control emollient for improvement of wound healing after fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser resurfacing. Women aged 25 to 50 years who underwent ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing on both sides of the face were recruited between October 2018 and December 2018. All participants underwent the operation by the same experienced dermatologist. We used the following parameters in CO2RE fractional laser treatment: wavelength of 10 600 nm, deep mode, energy density of 50 to 70 mJ (according to different skin types), spot density of 5%, interval time of 0.5 second, single round. Ice compress was applied for 5 minutes after operation. The participants used topical Cicaplast Baume B5 cream (B5 cream, La Roche-Posay, L'Oreal China) on one side of their faces and a hospital-made emollient on the other side once a day for 28 days. Both creams had the white opaque creamy texture. The participants were asked to avoid sun exposure. The trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), erythema index (EI), and melanin index (MI) were measured by a skin tester (MPA9, CK Company, German). The pain and burning sensation were assessed by visual analog scale. The age of participants were 30.2 ± 4.7 years (25-49 years). Thirty-six participants had atrophic acne scars and seven had dilated pores. Forty participants were Fitzpatrick skin type III and three were type IV. The decrustation time was 5.1 ± 2.1 days on the side treated with Cicaplast Baume B5 cream, compared with 6.1 ± 2.9 days on the control emollient-treated side (P < .001). The side effects of erythema and edema (0 = none; 1 = mild; 2 = moderate; and 3 = severe) were improved with time. On day 3, the improvement of erythema and edema were more significant on the B5 cream-treated side than the other side (P < .05, respectively). On day 7, the TEWL was lower on the B5 cream-treated side than the other side (P = .003). On days 3 and 7, the EI were both lower on the B5 cream-treated side than the other side (P < .001, respectively). MI was comparable between two treatments. The pain and burning sensation were improved with time (Figure 1). No serious adverse events (SAEs) were found. A transient pigmentation was observed on both sides in two patients and was subsided spontaneously after 2 months. Cicaplast Baume B5 cream contains madecassoside, 5% panthenol, copper, zinc, and manganese, which can accelerate healing of tiny wounds. This study showed that the study cream (B5 cream) can rapidly improve laser treatment-related tiny wound healing with mild and transient side-effects. These results were similar to the study by Lueangarun and colleagues, in which Cicaplast Baume B5 cream was compared with 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide. We used steroid-free emollient as control because steroids creams are rarely used after facial surgery in China. In conclusion, application of Cicaplast Baume B5 after laser resurfacing is effective and safe.