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Fractional laser/fractional RF effectively treated Asians’ acne scars
Fractional diode laser with radiofrequency therapy followed by fractional radiofrequency to treat acne scars in an Asian population resulted in modest improvement and low post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, according to study results.
Researchers studied 20 Chinese patients (Fitzpatrick skin types III and IV) with moderate atrophic acne scars and visible skin irregularities. Sixteen patients received five treatments and the others underwent three sessions of combined fractional 915-nm laser and bipolar radiofrequency (RF) with fluence ranging from 50 J/cm2 to 70 J/cm2, RF at 70-100 J/cm3, double passes followed by full-face bipolar fractional RF ranging from 50 mJ/pin to 62 mJ/pin, at 4-week intervals.
CK Yeung
Photographs were used up to 3 months post-treatment to assess changes in scars, skin texture, pore size, pigmentation irregularity and complications. Questionnaires assessed subjective improvement and patient satisfaction, and patients rated pain directly after treatment by each device.
“The research [was] prompted by the intrinsic difference between Asian and Caucasian skin in terms of response and adverse effects of energy-based devices,” researcher CK Yeung, MB,BS, FRCP, honorary clinical associate professor in the division of dermatology, department of medicine, at the University of Hong Kong, told Healio.com.
Three months after final treatment, mean reduction in scar grade was 29% (P<.001); 52.6% of patients said at least moderate overall improvement in acne scars was achieved. Mean pain score was 2.6 (scale, 0-4). All secondary endpoints showed objective improvements. Erythema and edema were experienced by all patients, which generally lasted a few hours to 1 day. Of 92 treatment sessions, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) rate was 6.5%, and most spots faded within 2 months. Moderate to significant subjective improvement was reported by 36.8% of patients. Despite considerable pain, 63% of patients reported treatment satisfaction at 3 months.
“Combined fractional radiofrequency and fractional laser is safe and effective treatment for acne scars in Asians,” Yeung said. “The results indicated that pain control is important for the treatment with these devices and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation can be reduced by lowering the energy parameters near bony areas on the face.”
“Further controlled studies to compare the nonablative fractional laser and radiofrequency devices are needed,” the researchers concluded.