A study to evaluate various upcoming therapies for acne scars: Head on comparison

Abstract

Background: Scarring is a most common complication of acne vulgaris which has negative psychosocial implications. Multiple surgical modalities are available for the management of scars. Very few studies are available in literature which compares these modalities head-on and in a comprehensive way. Aims and Objectives: The objective is to analyze and compare the efficacy of subcision alone as well as combination of subcision with other therapeutic modalities. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in 95 patients with postacne scars. Patients were divided into four groups as follows: Group I (S): Subcision; Group II (S + M): Subcision + microneedling; Group III (S + P): Subcision + platelet-rich plasma (PRP); Group IV (S + T): Subcision + trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peeling; all patients were followed up with photographs at 2, 6, and 9 months after start of treatment. Goodman-Baron's qualitative score assessment was performed at the start and end of the study. In addition, we also appointed independent blinded dermatologist for evaluating clinical improvement in terms of % improvement based on serial clinical photographs. Results: Among all modalities, subcision alone group showed the least improvement while subcision plus microneedling group showed the best response. Difference in final response of (S + P) and (S + T) groups was not statistically significant, but it was better than subcision alone group. Conclusion: Subcision plus microneedling showed the best response in our study while subcision plus PRP efficacy is comparable to that of subcision plus TCA peeling.

Keywords

• acne scars
• microneedling
• platelet-rich plasma
• subcision
• trichloroacetic acid peeling