Percutaneous delivery of liquid tetracycline using a thermal resurfacing drug delivery system for the treatment of festoons

Objectives To examine the effects of percutaneous tetracycline delivery to the malar area using a thermomechanical device (Tixel) in patients suffering from festoons. Methods This retrospective study included patients who underwent combination treatment with a thermomechanical device (Tixel) followed by application of topical tetracycline 1% at two private clinics between 2019 and 2023. Demographic and medical data, treatment parameters along with before and after treatment photographs were retrieved retrospectively. All patients were asked to answer a questionnaire, assessing self‐reported pre and posttreatment disturbance, patient global impression of change (PGIC) score, overall satisfaction with treatment, and the onset and duration of treatment effect. Finally, three masked reviewers evaluated and graded the severity of before and after treatment photographs. Results Twenty healthy patients received the combination treatment. The mean age was 59.4 ± 8.2 years (range: 45–72 years), and 90.0% (n = 18) were female. The number of treatment sessions per patient ranged from 2 to 8, mean of 5.0 ± 1.9, performed at 5.4 ± 1.2‐week intervals. The masked reviewers' grading scores demonstrated a significant improvement (2.81 ± 1.3 before vs. 1.6 ± 1.1 after, p