Combined use of laser therapy and autologous plasma with cells in patients with post-acne atrophic scars

Background. Acne scar formation is a common consequence of acne vulgaris, in most cases atrophic scars resulting from tissue loss caused by inflammation of the pilosebial units.

Aims: To study the effectiveness of combined laser therapy with Nd:YAG laser and Er: YAG laser with autologous plasma with cells in patients with different phenotypes of post-acne atrophic scars.

Materials and methods. Depending on the method of treatment of post-acne scars, the patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (n=28) with ice pick scars — 10 patients; boxcar — 9 patients; rolling — 9 patients and group 1 (n=30) among them with ice pick scars — 10; boxcar — 9; rolling — 11 patients. In group 1A, phototherapy was performed using a combination of Nd:YAG laser and Er:YAG laser. Immediately after laser exposure, autologous plasma was applied to the skin of the face of group 1B patients. To assess the effectiveness, the Manchester scale of assessment of scar deformities was used. The effectiveness was also evaluated using the Global Aesthetic Scale (GAIS) on a 3-point system. In this study, cutometry and ultrasound were performed to assess the elasticity of the skin in the foci of atrophy.

Results. The indicator "color" on the MSS scale improved in the 1st group by 54.8%, in the 2nd — by 83.7%, the indicator "texture" — by 57.1 and 78.1%, the indicator "relief" — by 43.8 and 66.7%, the indicator "displacement" — by 54.9 and 82.1%, respectively. There were no patients with a deterioration or lack of effect on the GAIS scale in any of the study groups. According to the ultrasound scan data, the greatest effectiveness was observed in the group of complex treatment .

Conclusion. Complex treatment, including the use of combined laser therapy (erbium and neodymium lasers) and autologous plasma with cells, is a highly effective technique for the treatment of atrophic post-acne scars.