COSMETIC

Percutaneous Collagen Induction Therapy: An

Alternative Treatment for Scars, Wrinkles, and
Skin Laxity
Matthias C. Aust,
Des Fernandes,
Perikles Kolokythas,
Hilton M. Kaplan,
Peter M. Vogt,

M.D.
M.D.
M.D.
M.D.
M.D.

Hannover, Germany; Cape Town,

South Africa; and Los Angeles, Calif.

Background: Skin laxity, rhytides, and photoaging are generally treated by

ablative procedures that injure or destroy the epidermis and its basement
membrane, at least in the beginning, and subsequently lead to fibrosis of the
papillary dermis. The ideal treatment would be to preserve the epidermis and
promote normal collagen and elastin formation in the dermis. Percutaneous
collagen induction takes us closer to this ideal.
Methods: The authors performed a retrospective analysis of 480 patients in
South Africa and Germany with fine wrinkles, lax skin, scarring, and stretch
marks treated with percutaneous collagen induction using the Medical Roll-CIT
to produce tighter, smoother skin. Most patients had only one treatment, but
some have had as many as four treatments. Patients were prepared with topical
vitamin A and C cosmetic creams for a minimum of 4 weeks preoperatively.
Results: On average, patients in Germany rated their improvement between 60
and 80 percent better than before the treatment. Histologic examination was
carried out in 20 patients and showed a considerable increase in collagen and
elastin deposition at 6 months postoperatively. The epidermis demonstrated 40
percent thickening of stratum spinosum and normal rete ridges at 1 year
postoperatively.
Conclusions: Percutaneous collagen induction was started in 1997 and has
proved to be a simple and fast method for safely treating wrinkles and scars. As
opposed to ablative laser treatments, the epidermis remains intact and is not
damaged. For this reason, the procedure can be repeated safely and is also suited
to regions where laser treatments and deep peels cannot be performed. (Plast.
Reconstr. Surg. 121: 1421, 2008.)

s the demand for less invasive, highly effective cosmetic procedures grows, plastic surgeons must explore and develop new treatment options. Patients request skin treatments to
rejuvenate photoaging, abnormal pigmentation
or vascularity, textural problems, rhytides, and laxity caused by chronological aging. We have numerous methods today to tighten skin, such as
laser resurfacing and deep peeling.15 However,
these treatments are ablative and tighten the skin
From the Klinik fur Plastische, Hand- und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover; Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Groote
Schuur Hospital; and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California.
Received for publication November 17, 2006; accepted February 28, 2007.
Copyright 2008 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons
DOI: 10.1097/01.prs.0000304612.72899.02

Disclosures: Dr. Des Fernandes is employed as the

senior medical consultant for Environ Skin Care
Pty. Ltd. (South Africa), whose products were used
by all the patients in this report. He does not own
any equity in Environ Skin Care Pty. Ltd. The
Roll-Cit products are made by Vivida Closed Corporation. Dr. Des Fernandes is a shareholder in Vivida
Closed Corporation and is employed by Vivida as a
medical consultant. Dr. Matthias Aust is the medical consultant for Care Concept, distributors for
Environ Skin Care Products and Roll-Cit in Germany. Dr. Hilton Kaplan is the medical advisor to
DermoGenesis, USA, a U.S. distributor of Environ.
Prof. Vogt and Dr. Kolokythas have no sources of
funds supporting the work and no financial interest
in any of the products, devices, or drugs mentioned
in this article.

www.PRSJournal.com

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Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery April 2008

or lighten scars because generally they destroy the
epidermis and, very importantly, its basement
membrane, which is replaced by an epidermis that
no longer has dermal papillae and, at least in the
beginning, is thinner than before.6 8 The destruction of the epidermis initiates an inflammatory
response that stimulates fibroblasts to produce
thick bundles of scar collagen in parallel orientation rather than the normal lattice network of
collagen found in normal skin.9,10 The skin becomes more sensitive to photodamage and may
also develop dyschromias.8
As far as scars are concerned, these treatments
all work on the same principle as dermabrasion:
the level of the normal skin is taken down closer
to the level of the offending scar, which does not
have normal epidermis.1113 The ideal treatment
would be to do exactly the opposite: by instead
improving the scar quality and building up the
scarred tissue to the level of the normal skin. On
account of the complications of resurfacing lasers
and deep peels, other modalities such as fractionated laser, radiofrequency heat, superficial repetitive peels, and intense pulsed light have become
more popular.14
Furthermore, patients are now demanding less
aggressive treatments. This is borne out by statistics
from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that
demonstrate a 43 percent increase in minimally invasive surgical interventions between 2000 and 2005,
compared with only a 16 percent increase for invasive cosmetic surgical interventions.15 Over time,
minimally invasive surgical procedures will outnumber traditional open surgical procedures, with the
market for related minimally invasive surgical devices set to soar from its current size in Europe of
$779 million to $1164 million in 201115 (in U.S.
dollars).
We have learned in recent years that transforming growth factor (TGF)- plays an enormous
role in the first 48 hours of scar formation.
Whereas TGF-1 and TGF-2 promote scar collagen, TGF-3 seems to promote regeneration and
scarless wound healing with a normal collagen
lattice.10,16,17 The ideal treatment of wrinkles and
scars should be to promote regeneration rather
than cicatrization, and this could offer our patients the result that they are hoping for.
We believe that percutaneous collagen induction brings us closer to this ideal of regeneration,
even though we still have far to go. Percutaneous
collagen induction creates thousands of microclefts through the epidermis into the papillary
dermis. These tiny wounds in the papillary dermis
create a virtually confluent zone of superficial

1422

bleeding that is a powerful stimulus to initiate the

normal process of wound healing. Because it is
nonablative, percutaneous collagen induction can
be performed on the face and body, on all skin
types, without concern for aesthetic unit boundaries, and, very importantly, without predisposing
the patient to hyperpigmentation. For percutaneous collagen induction, we have used the Environ
Medical Roll-CIT (Vivida-SA cc, Cape Town, South
Africa), which is a sterile plastic cylinder with needles protruding between 1 and 3 mm from the
surface to roll vigorously over the skin (Fig. 1).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective analysis of patients operated on between 1997 and 2006 in South Africa
and Germany. These patients underwent percutaneous collagen induction for fine wrinkles, lax
skin, scarring, and stretch marks. The skin of all
480 patients was prepared preoperatively for at
least 1 month with vitamin A (retinyl palmitate)
cream and vitamin C cream [ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate (Environ Original and C-Boost; Environ Skin Care, Pty. Ltd., Cape Town, South Africa)] applied topically twice daily.
Demographic Data
The demographic data of 480 patients are
listed in Table 1. Four hundred of the patients
were women and 80 were men (female-to-male
ratio, 5:1). The average age was 49 15.5 years
(range, 18 to 74 years). The average time to surgery (duration from consultation) was 3 15.5
months (range, 1 to 12 months). This is relevant
because it represents the duration over which pa-

Fig. 1. The Environ Medical Roll-CIT (made by Vivida-SA cc, Renaissance Body Science Institute, Cape Town, South Africa).

Volume 121, Number 4 Percutaneous Collagen Induction

Table 1. Demographic Data
Group
No. (n 480)
Female/male
Age, years
Time from consultation to
operation, months

Wrinkles

Scars

Lax Skin

Average

350
300/50
51.9 12.1

72
55/17
41.7 10.3

58
45/13
49.7 10.1

5/1
49 15.5

2.9 1.3

3.1 1.4

3.2 1.6

3 15.5

tients can pretreat their skin with vitamins A and

C. Twenty-eight of the 480 patients had been
treated previously with chemical peeling or dermabrasion elsewhere.
Method
Orentreich and Fernandes independently described subcision or dermal needling.18,19 This
involves pricking the skin and then scarifying the
dermis with a needle to build up connective tissue
under scars and wrinkles. However, this technique
could not be used over large surface areas. Camirand used a tattoo gun to treat scars with needle
abrasion.20 The fundamental similarity of these
different techniques is that the needles disrupt the
old collagen structures that connect the scar with
the upper dermis. The associated trauma induces
the normal wound-healing inflammatory cascade,
and the scar collagen that is broken down is replaced with new collagen under the epidermis.
Based on these principles, Fernandes developed a
new technology, percutaneous collagen induction, to initiate the natural posttraumatic inflammatory cascade by rolling needles vertically, horizontally, and diagonally with pressure over the
treated area21 (Figs. 2 and 3). These needle pricks
lead to thousands of microwounds in the dermis.
For percutaneous collagen induction, the skin was
anesthetized with a topical anesthetic cream or

Fig. 3. (Above) Schematic image of the procedure. (Below) Intraoperative view of a needled forehead.

with regional nerve blocks and/or infiltration of

local anesthetic and conscious sedation (where
large or sensitive areas are being treated), or general anesthesia.
Histology
Histology was carried out with 3-mm punch biopsies, to compare preoperative collagen and elastin
to that obtained postoperatively, both qualitatively
and quantitatively, using van Gieson, elastica, and
hematoxylin and eosin stains (Figs. 4 and 5).

Fig. 2. The operative procedure.

Indications for Percutaneous

Collagen Induction
Patients with indications for percutaneous collagen induction were divided into three groups:

1423

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery April 2008

Fig. 4. (Left) Preoperative histologic photomicrograph of the abdomen. (Right) Histologic photomicrograph of
the abdomen obtained 1 year postoperatively. Hematoxylin and eosin staining shows that, at 1 year postoperatively, the stratum corneum is normal and the epidermis shows no signs of any abnormality and is of normal
thickness, with regular rete peg formation.

fine wrinkles (face); scarring (acne, varicella,

burns); and stretch marks (striae) or lax skin (face,
abdomen, arms, legs, and thighs).
Group I: Wrinkles
Group I consisted of patients with fine wrinkles (n 350) (Figs. 6 and 7).
Group II: Scarring
Group II consisted of patients with acne or
burn scars (n 72) (Fig. 8).
Group III: Lax Skin/Striae
Group III consisted of patients with stretch
marks or lax skin of the abdomen or arms (n 58)
(Figs. 9 and 10).
Postoperative Care
Immediately after percutaneous collagen induction, the area is swollen, with superficial
bruising. After the initial bleeding stops within
a few minutes, there is a serous ooze, which stops
within the first few hours after the operation. To
absorb the bleeding and serous ooze, the treated
area should be covered with cool, damp swabs that
are periodically replaced for the first 2 hours after
the operation. The skin is finally washed with a tea
tree oil based cleanser and the vitamin A and C
regimen starts immediately. The patient is instructed
to wash the face thoroughly again when they return
home.
Patients usually do not require postoperative
analgesia if the procedure has been performed
under local anesthesia. When the procedure has
been performed under general anesthesia without
any local/topical anesthetic, the patient may com-

1424

plain of burning for the first hour postoperatively, so

it is wise to administer an analgesic at the end. The
edema can be quite significant when needling has
been performed but starts resolving from the second
day postoperatively, and by the fourth or fifth day
there is usually only mild erythema remaining. Patients are usually able to return to normal daily life
by the seventh day. Topical vitamin A and C both
maximize initial release of growth factors and stimulate collagen production.2226
Advantages and Disadvantages
Major advantages of percutaneous collagen induction are that the patients have no open wound
and consequently require only a short healing
phase. Because the epidermis and stratum corneum
are only clefted and are never removed, there is no
exposure to air and no risk of photosensitivity or any
postinflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation. Disadvantages that the authors see are
blood exposure of the surgeon, the need for complete anesthesia of the skin when performing needling, unsightly swelling and bruising for the first 4
to 7 days, and that the final result takes longer than
with laser resurfacing (new collagen continues to be
laid down for approximately 3 months).19,21
Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis was performed using the
chi-square test. Significance was accepted at a level
of p 0.05.

Volume 121, Number 4 Percutaneous Collagen Induction

Fig. 6. A 47-year-old woman with wrinkles of the forehead preoperatively (above) and 1 year postoperatively (below).

corneum, thickened epidermis (40 percent thickening of the stratum granulosum), and normal
rete ridges at 1 year postoperatively (Figs. 4, left,
and 5, below).
Fig. 5. (Above) Preoperative histologic photomicrograph of the
face. (Below) Histologic photomicrograph of the face obtained 6
months postoperatively. Van Gieson stain shows that, 6 months
after needling, there is a considerable increase in collagen and
elastin deposition, and the collagen appears not to have been
laid down in parallel bundles but is rather in the normal lattice
pattern.

RESULTS
Postoperatively, all treated patients were able
to return to normal daily life after 1 week. No
patient required postoperative analgesia, and all
continued to apply vitamins A and C twice daily on
an ongoing basis.
Histology
Van Gieson staining showed a considerable
increase in collagen deposition at 6 months postoperatively. The collagen also appears to have
been laid down in a normal lattice pattern, rather
than in parallel bundles as seen in scar tissue.
Similarly, elastica staining showed an increase in
elastin at 6 months postoperatively. Hematoxylin
and eosin staining demonstrated a normal stratum

Patient Satisfaction
In 50 patients treated in Germany (15 cases
with scars and stretch marks and 35 with wrinkles),
patient satisfaction was evaluated prospectively before percutaneous collagen induction and 12
months postoperatively by the patient themselves
using a visual analogue scale (0 absolutely dissatisfied and 10 completely satisfied). In group
I (wrinkles), the average preoperative score was
4.5 (range, 2 to 5), which improved significantly to
8.5 (range, 7 to 10) postoperatively. Group II
(scarring) also improved significantly from 3.0
(range, 1 to 5) to 7.5 (range, 7 to 8); and so did
group III (lax skin/striae), from 3.5 (range, 2 to
5) to 8.0 (range, 7 to 9) (Table 2).
In the 15 cases with scars and stretch marks
treated in Germany, the Vancouver Scar Scale
was compared with two reliable, objective, and
universal methods for assessing scars: the Vancouver Scar Scale, and the Patient and Observer
Scar Assessment Scales. The Vancouver Scar Scale
has been described to provide a descriptive terminology for the comparison of scars and assessing the
results of treatments.2729 It considers four parameters: vascularity, height (thickness), pliability, and
pigmentation. Each variable is scored for severity

1425

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery April 2008

Fig. 7. A 41-year-old woman with wrinkles of the face preoperatively (left) and 9 months postoperatively (right).

Fig. 8. A 24-year-old woman with chickenpox scars preoperatively (left) and 1 year postoperatively (right).

between 0 (normal skin) and 4 (most severe) to give

a total score of between 0 and 16 (where 0 reflects
normal skin).2729 The assessments were carried out
by two independent observers who regularly treat
scarred patients.
The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment
Scales consists of two scales: the patient scale,
which considers six parameters (color, pliability,
thickness, relief, itching, and pain); and the observer
scale, which considers five parameters (vascularization, pliability, pigmentation, thickness, and relief).
Each parameter is scored from 0 to 10, where 10
reflects the worst severity. At 12 months after percutaneous collagen induction, each patient and the
two independent observers completed the observer
and the patient scales for that patients scars.
In these 15 patients with scarring, the average preoperative Vancouver Scar Scale score was
7.5 11.5 (range, 4 to 11), which improved to
4.8 15.5 (range, 1 to 6) at 1 year after percutaneous collagen induction therapy. The Pa-

1426

tient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale scores

improved on average from 27 13.5 (range, 14
to 38) preoperatively to 19 11.5 (range, 14 to
25) at 1 year after percutaneous collagen induction therapy (Table 3). Postoperatively, no patients
experienced any photosensitivity or developed any
postinflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation.
Limitations and Complications
Limitations include the inadequate pretreatment with vitamin A of some patients, any active
skin processes (e.g., active acne), and unrealistic
expectations of some patients. Some patients
came for a second or third treatment to improve
the outcome, but as far as the authors know, no
treated patient underwent any open surgical procedure because the percutaneous collagen induction did not meet their expectation.
Two patients developed herpes simplex infection after a full-face needling. These infections

Volume 121, Number 4 Percutaneous Collagen Induction

Fig. 9. A 51-year-old woman with lax skin abdomen preoperatively (above) and 1 year postoperatively (below).

were treated successfully with acyclovir. Some patients reported swelling and bruising for up to 7 to
10 days. No patients reported scarring, hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation, or photosensitivity postoperatively.

Fig. 10. A 39-year-old woman with striae abdominales after

three pregnancies preoperatively (above) and 6 months postoperatively (below).

Table 2. Patient Satisfaction: Visual Analogue Scale

Group

DISCUSSION
Rationale for Using Topical Vitamins A and C
The necessity for using vitamins A and C for
percutaneous collagen induction has been well
described by Fernandes.19 Vitamin A, a retinoic
acid, is an essential vitamin (actually a hormone)
for skin. It expresses its influence on 400 to 1000
genes that control proliferation and differentiation of all the major cells in the epidermis and
dermis.30 38 It may control the release of TGF-3
in preference to TGF-1 and TGF-2 because, in
general, retinoic acid seems to favor the development of a regenerative lattice-patterned collagen
network rather than the parallel deposition of scar
collagen found with cicatrization.39,40 Retinyl esters are the main form of vitamin A in the
skin,19,41,42 and for these reasons, we have elected
to apply vitamin A in its ester forms (retinyl palmi-

Preoperative score
Postoperative score
p

Wrinkles

Scars

Lax Skin

4.5
8.5
0.005

3.0
7.5
0.005

3.5
8.5
0.005

Table 3. Patient Satisfaction: VSS and POSAS Scores*

No.
Preoperative score
Postoperative score
p

VSS

POSAS

72
7.5
4.8
0.005

72
27
19
0.005

*VSS, Vancouver Scar Scale; POSAS, Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scales.

tate and retinyl acetate), with little use of retinol

or retinoic acid directly.
Vitamin C is also essential for the production
of normal collagen.19,41 Percutaneous collagen in-

1427

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery April 2008

duction and vitamin A switch on the fibroblasts to
produce collagen and therefore increase the need
for vitamin C.
Normal Stimulation of Collagen Production
Percutaneous collagen induction aims to
stimulate collagen production by using the normal chemical cascade that ensues after any
trauma. There are three phases in the bodys
wound-healing process, which follow each other
in a predictable fashion. This has been well described in The Biology of the Skin by Falabella and
Falanga.43 Platelets and eventually neutrophils
release growth factors such as TGF-, TGF-,
platelet-derived growth factor, connective tissue
activating protein III, connective tissue growth
factor, and others that work in concert to increase the production of intercellular matrix.
Monocytes then also produce growth factors
to increase the production of collagen III, elastin, glycosaminoglycans, and so forth. Approximately 5 days after skin injury, a fibronectin matrix
forms with an alignment of the fibroblasts that determines the deposition of collagen. Eventually, collagen III is converted into collagen I, which remains
for 5 to 7 years. With this conversion, the collagen
tightens naturally over a few months. Percutaneous
collagen induction causes even further tightening of
lax skin and smoothening of scars and wrinkles several weeks or even months after the injury.44
During the usual conditions of wound healing, scar tissue is formed with minimal regeneration of normal tissue. We hypothesize that
the controlled wound milieu created during
percutaneous collagen induction, by minimizing the usual stresses such as exposure to air,
infection, mechanical tension, and so forth, may
take us closer to regenerative healing. We also
believe that our results support our hypothesis.

CONCLUSIONS
Finally, we should question why we destroy
the epidermis to achieve smooth skin. The epidermis is a complex, highly specialized protective layer, even though it is only approximately
0.2 mm thick. We should only destroy the epidermis for medical reasons, never for aesthetic
ones. The first step to a healthier skin is to
restore the natural levels of photosensitive vitamins (e.g., vitamins A and B12), antioxidants
(e.g., vitamins C and E), and carotenoids, which
all become depleted after exposure of the skin
to light each day.45,46

1428

Although structural changes to the face and

body may be achieved with surgery (e.g., face
lifts), true rejuvenation also depends largely on
youthful appearing skin. Percutaneous collagen
induction offers an antiaging modality to rejuvenate and improve the appearance of old skin.
We can now improve our patients skin from the
inside out and not just from the surface. Experience has shown that percutaneous collagen
induction works optimally when combined with
a scientific skin care program to restore a youthful appearance. In addition, percutaneous collagen induction has proven to be very effective
in minimizing acne and burn scars, by promoting the replacement of scar collagen with normal collagen and the reduction of depressed
and contracted scars.
Since the introduction of percutaneous collagen induction therapy in 1997, it has evolved into
a simple and fast method for safely treating wrinkles and scars and producing smoothness. As opposed to ablative laser treatments, the epidermis
remains intact and is not damaged. For this reason, the procedure can be repeated safely and is
also suited to regions where laser treatments and
deep peels cannot be performed.
Matthias C. Aust, M.D.
Klinik fur Plastische, Hand- und
Wiederherstellungschirurgie
Hochschule Hannover
Carl-Neuberg Strae 1
Hannover 30625, Germany
aust_matthias@gmx.de

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