Acta Dermato-Venereologica (Jun 2017)

Combined Fractional Treatment of Acne Scars Involving Non-ablative 1,550-nm Erbium-glass Laser and Micro-needling Radiofrequency: A 16-week Prospective, Randomized Split-face Study

  • Hyuck Hoon Kwon,
  • Hae Young Park,
  • Sun Chul Choi,
  • Youin Bae,
  • Chanhee Kang,
  • Jae Yoon Jung,
  • Gyeong-Hun Park

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2340/00015555-2701
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 97, no. 8
pp. 947 – 951

Abstract

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An optimized therapeutic regimen involving a non-ablative fractionated laser or radiofrequency therapy for acne scars has not yet been established. To evaluate whether the combination of a non-ablative fractional laser (NAF) and fractional micro-needling radiofrequency (FMR) has clinical advantages for the treatment of atrophic acne scars compared with NAF alone, a 16-week prospective, randomized split-face study was performed. Each facial side of a patient was treated with 3 sessions of either NAF with FMR or NAF alone, with a 4-week interval between each session. Although both sides demonstrated significant decreases in the échelle d’évaluation clinique des cicatrices d’acné (ECCA) score, the facial side treated using the combination regimen demonstrated greater improvement in ECCA score regarding degree and onset time than the NAF-treated side. Histopathological and immunohistochemical results confirmed the clinical findings. This study demonstrated that a combination regimen involving NAF and FMR could be a viable option with satisfactory efficacy.

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