Fractional Erbium-YAG Laser and Platelet-Rich Plasma as Single or Combined Treatment for Atrophic Acne Scars: A Randomized Clinical Trial
El-Taieb, M.A., Ibrahim, H.M., Hegazy, E.M., Ibrahim, A.K., Gamal, A.M. & Nada, E.A.
Dermatology and Therapy, 9(4), pp.707–717, 2019.
Introduction:
Acne scarring is a common undesirable complication of acne vulgaris. Fractional erbium-yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) 2940 nm laser and platelet-rich plasma have been used in treating acne scars with variable outcomes. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of fractional erbium-YAG 2940 nm laser and platelet-rich plasma as a single line of treatment in comparison with combined treatment in atrophic postacne scars.
Materials and Methods:
Seventy-five patients were included in this trial and randomized into three equal groups (25 each). Group A was subjected to six sessions of erbium-YAG laser for 6 months, group B was treated with 12 sessions of platelet-rich plasma over the same period, and group C was subjected to six sessions of erbium-YAG laser plus 12 sessions of platelet-rich plasma over the same period. Each subject was evaluated by acne scar grading, photography, and subjective evaluation.
Results:
Both treatment modalities showed improvement of acne scars, but the improvement with combined treatment was better than that with erbium-YAG laser or platelet-rich plasma alone regarding scar grade improvement (P = 0.007 and 0.001), clinical improvement (P = 0.001 and 0.001), and patient satisfaction (P = 0.005 and 0.001), respectively.
Conclusions:
The combination of platelet-rich plasma plus erbium-YAG laser is superior to either treatment alone for acne scars, with trivial side effects for all treatment modalities.