Carboxytherapy uses medical-grade carbon dioxide administered through microinjections into the subcutaneous tissue of the area to be treated. The local increase in CO₂ produces a physiological response from the body: vasodilation occurs, blood flow to the area improves and the availability of oxygen in the tissue increases.
That improvement in microcirculation is the basis of the treatment. In areas with cellulite it helps to work on the circulatory component; in skin with laxity it encourages stimulation of the supporting tissue; in stretch marks it acts on poorly vascularised tissue; and in the eye area it helps improve the appearance of vascular under-eye shadows, one of its most requested indications.
It is a medical treatment with a cumulative effect: each session provides a stimulus and the result builds on the sum of them all, within the plan set out at the assessment.
Carboxytherapy is one of the body aesthetic medicine treatments at Alta Armonía in El Albir and forms part of the range of fat-reducing and anti-cellulite treatments. When the fat deposit is more extensive and a non-invasive route is wanted, the alternative is Vanquish; if what predominates is tissue laxity, the work goes through Exilis. The indication is established at the first consultation.
Carboxytherapy is used where the problem has a circulatory or tissue-quality component, and that covers very different areas:
Abdomen, flanks and thighs, when there is cellulite or localised laxity. Inner arms and knees, areas where the tissue loses tone easily. Stretch marks, both recent and already white, acting on tissue that is poorly vascularised. And the eye area, for vascular under-eye shadows, which is one of the most requested indications.
Which area is appropriate in each case — and whether it is appropriate at all — is determined at the prior assessment, because a vascular under-eye shadow and one caused by volume loss are not treated in the same way.
1. Assessment. The area is reviewed and we confirm what predominates: retention, a fatty component or loss of firmness. The plan comes from that.
2. Cleansing and marking. The area is disinfected and the entry points are marked.
3. CO₂ infiltration. With a very fine needle the gas is introduced into the subcutaneous tissue. It is usual to feel pressure, warmth and a kind of gentle crackling under the skin as the gas spreads: that is the expected sensation and it settles within a few minutes.
4. Reabsorption. The body reabsorbs the CO₂ and eliminates it through normal breathing. Nothing is left in the tissue.
5. Guidance at the end. We explain the guidance on hydration, physical activity and sun exposure for the following days.
It is a well-tolerated treatment with a cumulative effect: the result builds over the course of the protocol, which is set at the first consultation.
You can see what the centre is like and who works there before booking your assessment.
One technique makes it possible to address different indications — cellulite, laxity, stretch marks and under-eye shadows — by adjusting the area and the way it is applied.
In the eye area it works on the vascular component of the shadow, which is the one that responds to improved microcirculation.
It works on circulatory stagnation, one of the underlying causes of cellulite and of the poor appearance of certain areas.
The indication and the plan are set after a medical assessment and the sessions are carried out by qualified healthcare staff.
Yes, it is one of its indications. It acts on shadows with a vascular component, improving the microcirculation of the eye area. At the assessment we establish whether each patient’s shadow responds to that component or to another.
It is a treatment with a cumulative effect and the plan depends on the area and the indication. It is determined at the initial assessment and reviewed as things progress.
It is a well-tolerated treatment. During application it is usual to feel pressure, warmth or slight stinging in the area, which disappears shortly afterwards. The intensity varies with the area treated.
Yes. Redness and a crackling sensation under the skin may remain, settling within minutes, and occasionally a small bruise. You return to your usual activity the same day.
CO₂ is a gas the body itself produces and eliminates continuously through breathing. In carboxytherapy we use sterile, medical-grade carbon dioxide in controlled quantities, and the body reabsorbs and eliminates it by that same route. It is always applied under medical supervision and after an assessment that rules out contraindications.
Pressure in the area, a sensation of warmth and often a gentle crackling under the skin as the gas spreads. It is not painful in the usual sense, but it is a striking sensation the first time. It disappears within a few minutes.
Yes, and it is usually what is indicated. If what predominates is fluid retention, it is combined with pressotherapy or with manual lymphatic drainage. If fat accumulation or laxity dominates, with Vanquish o Exilis. The order and the intervals form part of the plan.
