Introduction:Acne is a common condition that can result in permanent scarring. Acne scars
can be broken down into three categories: atrophic; hypertrophic; and
keloidal. Atrophic scars can be further sub-classified into: ice pick;
rolling; and boxcar.Objectives and Methods:We have performed a comprehensive literature search of the last ten years in
order to determine the efficacy and adverse reactions of commonly used
treatments against post-acne scarring.Results:A total of 36 relevant articles were identified on the following
interventions: subcision (n = 10), dermabrasion (n = 1), microneedling (n =
8), dermal fillers (n = 5), and chemical peeling (n = 12).Discussion:Improvement in the appearance of post-acne scarring following subcision is in
the range of 10–100%. Microdermabrasion achieved the least significant
results. A total of 27.3% patients did not achieve any benefit despite eight
treatment sessions, and only 9.1% achieved good results. All patients
treated with microneedling achieved some improvement in scar appearance in
the range of 31–62%. Dermal fillers also led to favourable outcomes. In
particular, treatment with PPMA led to improvement in 84% of patients.
Utilising chemical peels, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) CROSS achieved >70%
improvement in 73.3% of patients, whereas 20% glycolic acid did not lead to
any improvement in 25%.Conclusion:Post-acne scarring is a common and challenging condition with no easy and
definitive solution. The above interventions have been used with varying
degrees of efficacy, each having both pros and cons. All have been deemed to
be safe with few and transient adverse reactions. However, further trials
with a larger number of patients are necessary in order to reach more
concrete conclusions regarding their efficacy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.