Elham Behrangi; Azadeh Goodarzi; Mohamadreza Ghasemi; Fatemeh Zahra Mohamadi; Parvaneh Hassani; Reza Gharajeh; Zahra Azizian
Abstract
Background: Acne scarring can significantly affect patients’ quality of life, particularly when it involves the face. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of microneedling with and without platelet-rich plasma (PRP) versus fractional CO2 laser therapy in treating acne scarring.Methods: This ...
Read More
Background: Acne scarring can significantly affect patients’ quality of life, particularly when it involves the face. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of microneedling with and without platelet-rich plasma (PRP) versus fractional CO2 laser therapy in treating acne scarring.Methods: This randomized clinical study was performed on 90 patients with acne scarring. All the patients were divided into three groups (n = 30 per each): group A received microneedling, group B received microneedling plus PRP, and group C was treated by fractional CO2 laser. Each patient underwent three treatment sessions across three week intervals. The severity and depth of acne scars were graded using Goodman and Baron’s scale and Visio Face systems, respectively.Results: Out of 90 patients, 30 in group A, 22 in group B, and 26 in group C completed the trial. Analysis was done based on the per-protocol method on a total of 78 patients. Regarding the severity of acne scarring, significantly better results were obtained for groups A and B than for group C (P ≤ 0.001), while no meaningful difference was seen between groups A and B. Also, there was a significant difference between group B and other groups in terms of patients’ satisfaction (P = 0.04). The Visio Face systems showed that the depth of acne scars in group B had better improvement than in other groups (P = 0.02).Conclusion: Microneedling plus PRP led to the most patient satisfaction and highest improvement in acne scar depth. However, considering the fewer side effects and acceptable cost-benefit profile of microneedling alone compared with fractional CO2 laser or microneedling plus PRP, isolated microneedling could be considered the first choice for treating acne scars.
Elham Behrangi; Azadeh Goodarzi; Amir Heydarian; Mohammadreza Ghasemi; Zahra Azizian; Parvaneh Hassani; Behrad Dalvand; Nima Hajiha
Abstract
Background: Among different treatments for periorbital hyperpigmentation (POH), both semi-invasive protocols of fractional CO2 laser and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are favored among clinicians and rarely cause complications; however, the level of patients’ satisfaction seems to differ across these ...
Read More
Background: Among different treatments for periorbital hyperpigmentation (POH), both semi-invasive protocols of fractional CO2 laser and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are favored among clinicians and rarely cause complications; however, the level of patients’ satisfaction seems to differ across these methods.Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 100 patients (98 women; 2 men) between 28 to 62 years of age who complained of POH and referred to the Dermatology Clinic of Rasool Akram Medical Complex located in Tehran in 2017. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups receiving fractional CO2 laser (group C) and adding PRP treatments plus laser therapy (group CP). The outcome of both treatment protocols was followed 3 and 6 months after the last treatment by standard photography.Results: The time for swelling after treatment in the C and CP groups was 4.58 ± 0.61 days and 2.94 ± 0.68 days, respectively, which was significantly shorter in group CP (P < 0.001). The mean time for erythema disappearance was also shorter in group CP (5.20 ± 0.76 days vs. 3.40 ± 0.76 days, P < 0.001). Regarding the trend of the change in the ΔE parameter, it fell significantly in both groups within the follow-up period (P < 0.001); however, the mean ΔE was significantly higher in the CP group when compared with the control group (P < 0.001). There were no significant or resistant side effects in either treatment group.Conclusion: Although both therapies are effective and safe, the concurrent use of CO2 laser and PRP can more effectively reduce the severity of POH with a shorter duration of post-treatment swelling and erythema. Hence, this combination is a superior modality for the treatment of POH as compared to laser therapy alone.