Methods/Technique: From April 2010 to August 2011, thirty patients, two men and twenty-eight women, underwent surgical correction of crow’s feet using RF current. The mean age was 52.7+/-3.7 years old (range, 31-73 years old). Patients were followed post operatively during a mean period of 23 months (range, 15-31 months). Following the elevation of the skin flap in the temporal area, the lateral portion of the orbicularis oculi muscle was partially elevated and splayed out. Then the RF current was applied to the elevated muscle flap until the target temperature of 60-80°C was reached. Clinical outcomes were observed through photographs with patients in wink animation.
Results/Complications: The 30 patients that had this combination surgical treatment had no recurrences of the crow’s feet at an average follow up of 23 months. No major complications such as nerve injury or contour defects were noted.
Conclusion: The main advantage of this surgical technique is to preserve the structural continuity of the orbicularis oculi muscle while selectively decreasing muscle tone. This technique may prevent post-operative complications such as contour deformities that are reported with other surgical treatment modalities. The RF current causes irreversible muscle fibrosis, which in turn provides long lasting results. While the early results of this series show promising long-term efficacy and good safety profile, the small number of patients and follow-up period warrants further study.