Laboratory evaluation of skin refrigerants used in dermabrasion.

Six skin refrigerants were evaluated for maximum cooling temperature. The temperatures produced correlated well with the chemical components and also the gelatin freeze-thaw times. Freon 114 and Freon 114-ethyl chloride mixtures are time-tested, safe skin refrigerants. Some of the newer skin refrigerants are pure sources of Freon 12 or mixtures of Freon 12 and Freon 11. These newer, colder products have the potential to damage the skin and represent a hazard to successful dermabrasion.