topical analgesia study after deep chemical peeling utilizing water, melaleuca oil and gel mask in comparison of saline solution mask

Objective: To study the post-peeling analgesia with a deionized water-based gel and tea tree oil mask, the Water Jel® (WJ), a material that is already used in the initial approach of burn injuries since there are pain reduction reports due to the injury cooling and act as na inhibitor of local inflammatory response. Methods: The study was performed in 17 patients. Pain was evaluated from a comparison between right and left hemiface, one covered with the WJ mask and the other one with a saline covered mask without the active ingredients of the studied product, right after the trichloroacetic acid peeling. Results: The average scores of the two hemifaces on a numerical scale were similar before applying the WJ mask and the saline mask. This result remained on the evaluation according to faces pain scale. These variables were evaluated by the Wilcoxon test, which identified no significant difference between their right side and left side. Discussion: There are few studies discussing analgesic measures for this type of procedure. Studies demonstrated that heparin is quite effective in slowing down or disappearing this painful complain. Also, Burnshield® showed comparable efficacy to running water in the initial burn treatment, with better results after 24 hours of evolution. Conclusion: It was concluded that both hemifaces masks showed the same effect, neither in comparison provided greater analgesia than the other one.