months after last treatment included high-resolution photography
documentation.
RESULTS
Clinical Observations
The treatments were well accepted by the patients who reported mild pain (grading on pain scale) during treatments even without applying an anesthetic prior to the treatment and a high degree of satisfaction (strong improvement). There were no adverse side effects recorded during, after, or in the follow-up.
Positive effects were seen starting 2 weeks after the first
therapy on all scars subtypes. In addition, the treatment improved
the scars’ texture and laxity. The results of treatment
are shown in Figures 1-2. The outcome was judged excellent
by the patients, the investigator, as well as a blinded, boardcertified
plastic surgeon. Acne scar grade improved from 2 to 1 in Case 1 and 3 to 2 in Case 2. Minimal side effects include
transient bumps and spot bleeding entry points. Overall, the
treatment is associated with little or no downtime. Severe
adverse events (such as infection, long-lasting erythema,
hyperpigmentation) were not observed. Three months after
the last treatment, there were marked improvements in acne
scars and skin texture.
DISCUSSION
Current acne scars treatment methods such as trichloroacetic
acid CROSS technique, subcision, laser resurfacing, punch excision,
or elevation and subcision have limited efficacy, and often
several techniques are combined.4 In particular, darker-skinned
patients have a higher probability of prolonged erythema and
pigmentary change and a higher risk of hypertrophic scarring
in resurfacing procedures such as dermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing,
and medium and deep chemical peeling.
