A new study published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine aimed to compare the efficacy of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP), ablative fractional carbon dioxide (FCO₂) laser and their combination in the treatment of atrophic acne scars—both clinically and immuno-histopathologically.

In this comparative clinico-immuno-histopathological study, patients were randomly divided into three equal groups. Group-1 was administered intradermal PRP injection sessions; group-2 received FCO₂ laser sessions; and group-3 received FCO₂ laser followed by intradermal PRP injection sessions. Each group was given three sessions at monthly intervals. The final assessment took place three months after the last session. Skin biopsies were obtained before and one month after treatment sessions with pathological evaluation.

The results showed that combined PRP and FCO₂ laser-treated patients had a better clinical response, fewer side effects and shorter downtime than FCO₂ laser alone. PRP-treated patients had some improvement, however, it was significantly lower than the other two groups.

In inference, it was stated that a combination of PRP and FCO₂ laser is an effective and safe modality in the treatment of atrophic acne scars with better results than PRP or FCO₂ laser alone.

Source: Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. 2020 Aug 8. doi: 10.1002/lsm.23306.