Evaluation of the cumulative effect of Radiofrequency Microneedling and fractional Erbium: Glass 1565 laser in moderate to severe acne scars in skin of color.

Abstract

Evaluation of the cumulative effect of Radiofrequency Microneedling and fractional Erbium: Glass 1565 laser in moderate to severe acne scars in skin of color. This retrospective study was conducted on 20 patients of skin types III -V having moderate to severe atrophic acne scars. The study was carried out over 1year from March 2019 to March 2020. All patients underwent 4 sessions of non-ablative Fractional Erbium: Glass 1565 laser to alternate with 4 sessions of Fractional Radiofrequency Microneedling once a month over 8months. Of the 20 patients enrolled, 18 completed treatment protocol. Two patients were withdrawn from the study because they were unable to attend follow-up treatment sessions. The subjective evaluation was performed using photographs at baseline, 8months, and 12months. A photographic evaluation was performed using the following numeric responses: <25%, 25-50%, 51-75%, and 76-100% difference in severity. None of the patients had worsening of their scars. The improvement in scars was statistically significant. The combination of Fractional Erbium: Glass 1565 laser and Fractional Radiofrequency Microneedling can be used in the treatment of acne scars in skin of color. Our protocols helped achieve significant improvement of scars.