Acne could be a common affliction among many teens and a few adults that usually resolves over time. However, the severe sequelae of acne scarring can cause long-term psychological and psychiatric problems.
There exists a mess of modalities to treat acne scars like more invasive surgical techniques, subcision, chemical peels, ablative lasers, fractional lasers, etc.
A more modern technique for the treatment of acne scars is nonablative radiofrequency (RF) that works by passing a current through the dermis at a preset depth to supply small thermal wounds within the dermis which, in turn, stimulates dermal remodeling to supply new collagen and soften scar defects.
This review demonstrates that out of all RF modalities, microneedle bipolar RF and fractional bipolar RF treatments offer the most effective results for acne scarring. An improvement of 25%–75% are often expected after three to four treatment sessions using one to two passes per session.
Treatment results are optimal approximately 3 months after the ultimate treatment. Transient pain, erythema, and scabbing can be the common side effects. Further studies are needed to work out what RF treatment modalities work best for specific scar subtypes in order that further optimization of RF treatments for acne scars is often determined.
There is a large number of treatment options that are traditionally used for the treatment of acne scars. These include many ablative measures like chemical peels, subcision, ablative laser, dermabrasion, dermal grafting, punch excision, punch elevation, punch grafting, and surgery.
Besides, minimally invasive micro-needling with a derma roller are often used to treat acne scars. Alternatively, the reduction of acne scars are often accomplished by using temporary fillers.
The matter with many of those procedures is that they’re invasive and may cause an increased risk of depigmentation, scarring, and infections with prolonged healing.
Newer treatment modalities to decrease the propensity for postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and aforementioned problems have emerged like nonablative fractional lasers and radiofrequency (RF) treatments. This induces a rapid healing process within the dermis and upregulation of the latest collagen production.