Dermapen® Award-Winning Acne Scar Revision

Acne Scars Dermapen Research – Award Winning Acne Scar Revision

Acne Scars Dermapen team has found the following clinical publications on the treatment of acne scars micro needling

Acne scarring impacts an individual’s life both physically and emotionally. A variety of therapies have been tried with varying amounts of success. However, “There is no simple definitive solution for acne scarring, which is a difficult problem to treat” (Fabbrocini et al., 2009).

Dermal ablative techniques using mechanical (dermabrasion) or light energy (ablative laser resurfacing) have been used, historically, with good effect but long down times and serious side effect profiles. Surgical incision or injection of fillers is currently also used.
Milder, less invasive therapies use fractionated micro-injuries and include fractional laser and needle dermabrasion. Both of these therapies deliver micro-injuries to the epidermis and superficial dermis triggering the healing process and changing the structure of the epidermis-dermis. These therapies have less down time after treatment, fewer side effects such as hyperpigmentation and scarring, and are less operator-dependent (Fife 2011).

Needle dermabrasion has been studied specifically for acne scar revision (Fabbrocii et al., 2009; Imran 2009; Leheta et al., 2011).

Fabbrocini et al., (2009) studied the effects of needle dermabrasion in 18 subjects on the appearance of acne rolling scars. Improvement was statistically significant, and cutaneous casts showed a 25% reduction in depth of irregularity in the five subjects studied. Importantly, there were no side effects such as erythema or pigmentation changes in any of the subjects.

Majid (2009) studied 37 patients with atrophic acne scars treated with 3 to 4 sessions of microneedling. The severity of the scars was rated with the Goodman and Baron qualitative scale. Improvement of scars by two grades occurred in 72%, improvement by one grade occurred in another 17%.

Leheta et al., (2011) compared microneedlng to TCA CROSS (focal application of trichloroacetic acid with a sharpened wood applicator) for atrophic acne scars. Fifteen subjects were allocated into each group. Using the Lipper scale (Lipper et al., 2006) and a “quartile scale of response to treatment” both groups had significant improvement of 68% for microneedling and 75% for CROSS. There was no significant difference found between the efficacy of microneedling and the well-established CROSS technique.

PDFs of the referenced papers are included in this packet. Please contact our Medical Director with any questions (MD@Dermapen.com).

Fabbrocini G, Fardella N, Monfrecola A, Proietti I, Innocenzi D (2009) Acne scarring treatment using skin needling. Clin Exp Dermatol 34: 874-879.
Majid I (2009) Microneedling therapy in atrophic facial scars: An objective assessment. J Cut Aesthet Surg 2:26-30.
Leheta T, El Tawdy A, Abdel Hay R, Farid S (2011) Percutaneous collagen induction versus full-concentration trichloroacetic acid in the treatment of atrophic acne scars. Dermatol Surg 37:207-216.