Managing acne scars is challenging, and therapies are divided into nonsurgical and surgical. Highly Purified Technology Polynucleotides (PN-HPT) is a compound that includes a mixture of DNA polymers of different lengths. Considerable studies have shown that PN-HPT also serves as an energy source, thus influencing cellular growth and cell vitality.

The present study assessed the improvement in dermal quality and acne scars after PN-HPT versus placebo according to Antera 3D and the patient responses to the patient satisfaction questionnaire after comparing pre-treatment and post-treatment photographs at 1 and 3 months.

It included women aged 30 to 50 years with grade 3 to 4 moderate to severe atrophic scars according to the Goodman classification, nonsmokers and without a history of any active acne during the past 5 years. It treated 10 patients (PN-HPT group) with 4.0 mL of PN-HPT and 10 patients (control) with 4.0 mL of normal saline. 

The study witnessed the inclusion of 20 women, and only patients in the PN-HPT group showed significant improvement at 1 and 3 months after treatment compared with baseline.

This study shows that PN-HPT in monotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for atrophic scar acne compared with a placebo. Further studies are necessary to investigate the clinical effectiveness in a larger cohort of patients and for a longer follow-up.

Source: Araco A, Araco F. Preliminary prospective and randomized study of highly purified polynucleotide vs. placebo in treatment of moderate to severe acne scars. Aesthet Surg J. 2021;41(7):NP866-NP874.