The early and late efficacy of single‐pass fractional carbondioxide laser, fractional radiofrequency, and their combination in acne scars: A prospective, split‐face, single‐blinded, controlled clinical study

Abstract

We investigated the effectiveness of fractional carbon dioxide laser (FCO 2) vs fractional radiofrequency (FRF) and FCO 2 vs FRF plus FCO 2 combination in the treatment of acne scars. Twenty-seven patients were included. Scar severity was scored with "Echelle d'évaluation clinique des cicatrices d'acné" (ECCA) by a dermatologist blinded to treatment. FCO 2 and FRF were administered to the right and left halves of the patients' faces, respectively, at the first three visits, once a month. At the fourth visit, FCO 2 was administered to both sides. Last evaluation was performed 6 months

Combination radiofrequency microneedling and carbon dioxide laser for acne scarring: A systematic review and retrospective case series across two centers

“…Mean patient ages for the studies were 24.8, 4 23.4, 5 and 27.6, 8 and Fitzpatrick skin types II, III, and IV were treated. In all studies, topical anesthetic cream was used as the method of anesthesia with 2 studies also using air cooling 5,8 …”

“…Please refer to Appendix S1 to find a detailed summary of included articles along with quality scores. Two studies were retrospective case series 4,8 and the remaining study was a prospective, split‐face case series 5 . Mean patient ages for the studies were 24.8, 4 23.4, 5 and 27.6, 8 and Fitzpatrick skin types II, III, and IV were treated.…”

“…We recognize potential confounding factors in our 2‐center case series including previous treatments received for acne scarring and precise duration between treatment and follow‐up. In the split‐face study by Kacar et al, 5 a course of 4 sessions of fractional CO 2 laser treatments was found to reduce acne scarring more than a treatment course comprising 3 sessions of RF microneedling followed by a single session of fractional CO2 laser treatment, albeit with a greater side effect profile. We highlight that we are unable to comment on whether a single combination treatment with RF microneedling and fractional CO2 laser treatment is superior to other treatments for acne scarring, and suggest future studies, for example, multi‐arm randomized studies, to address superiority.…”

“…In all studies, topical anesthetic cream was used as the method of anesthesia with 2 studies also using air cooling. 5,8 In the study by Kim et al, 4 71 patients were treated with RF microneedling immediately followed by fractional ablative CO 2 laser.…”

“…Acne scars have been found to negatively impact quality of life with associated adverse psychosocial impact 1–3 . Treatment of acne scarring is a therapeutic challenge with a number of available treatment options including topical skincare, chemical peels, dermabrasion, microneedling, dermal filler injections, platelet‐rich‐plasma injections, lasers, other energy‐based devices, and surgery 4–6 . These options carry varying degrees of effectiveness and different side effect profiles.…”