INTRODUCTION
Acne scars may result from damage to the skin during
the healing of active acne. The two causes of acne
scar formation can be categorized as either a result
of increased tissue formation (hypertrophic scar) or, the more
common cause, loss or damage of tissue (atrophic scar).
1 Additionally,
acne scars can be divided into 3 basic subtypes: icepick
scars, rolling scars, and boxcar scars based on their width,
depth, and 3-dimensional composition.2
Patients with acne scars may experience severe psychological
effects as a result of the cosmetic blemishes. These effects may
include emotional debilitation, embarrassment, poor self-esteem,
preoccupation, low confidence, anxiety, or depression.3
Current treatment options include dermal fillers, chemical
peels, microdermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing, subcision,
and needling. The limitations of these treatments are that they
may be invasive, and may not provide a complete scar resolution
since they do not treat deeper scars. Furthermore, they
may cause hyperpigmentation in darker skin types. Another
limitation of laser treatments is the need to incorporate needle
subcision of scars to release the deep attachments of the
scars to underlying structures. There is therefore a need for a
treatment modality that will enable treating all scar subtypes,
year-round, applicable to darker skin types, and will achieve
results with minimal downtime.
This report describes the use of jet volumetric remodeling (JVR)
technology to treat acne scars in two patients. It performs by
pneumatically accelerating a carrier fluid jet containing highmass
molecules of hyaluronic acid (HA) into the tissue.
MATERIAL S AND METHODS
Jet volumetric remodeling technology (Enerjet, PerfAction,
Inc., Rehovot, Israel) was used to deliver cross-linked Hyaluronic
Acid (Belotero Basic, Merz Aesthetics, Inc., San Mateo, CA).
Two patients were treated with the Enerjet system.
Case 1: Female, age 41, Fitzpatrick skin type IV. Acne scars are
mainly boxcar type.
Case 2: Male, age 30, Fitzpatrick skin type V. Acne scars are a
mix of boxcar and ice pick.
Treatment Protocol
Prior to the treatment, high-resolution photography was documented
for each area (Profect Technologies, USA). A treatment
session included treatment of the patients’ face, as follows:
Case 1: Approximately 20 shots were applied to each side, at a
setting of 45% pressure and filling level 5.
Case 2: Approximately 45 shots were applied to each side, at a
setting of 40% pressure and filling level 4.
After the treatment, treated areas were visually examined for
skin responses. The patients underwent a series of 2 treatment
sessions at 4-week intervals. A follow-up evaluation 3