Subcision With CO₂ Laser or PRP vs Subcision Alone in Atrophic Acne Scars

NCT07199608 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: subcision in acne scars
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 42
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory disease of pilosebaceous unit ,leading to different types of scars including atrophic, hypertrophic and keloidal. Atrophic scars are the most common type ,affecting about 75-90% of acne scar cases and can be ice pick, rolling or boxcar in morphology . Theses scars may cause significant impact such as depression, anxiety , and reduced quality of life. multiple treatment modalities exist, including lasers ,chemical peels, dermabrasion, microneedling, subcision and platelet rich plasma. Subcision is a well established technique that improves rolling and boxcar scars by releasing fibrotic strands. Fractional co2 laser induces dermal remodeling and collagen neogenesis, while PRP enhances wound healing and collagen induction through growth factors. Combinig subcision with either co2 laser or PRP may enhance treatment efficacy compared to subcision alone. rational : Subcision alone may provide limited improvement in some patients. Fractional CO₂ laser and PRP are promising adjunctive modalities that could enhance collagen remodeling and improve cosmetic outcomes. Evaluating their combined effect versus subcision alone will help determine the most effective and safe approach for managing atrophic post-acne scars. aim of work:To compare the efficacy and safety of combined subcision with either fractional CO₂ laser or platelet-rich plasma versus subcision alone in the treatment of facial atrophic post-acne scars.

Conditions

Atrophic Acne Scar

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Goodman and Baron quantitative acne scar score (Baseline vs 1 month post last session).

  If the scale was lowered by: (Quantitative) 0-5 points, the reduction will be considered minimal 5-10 points, it will be considered moderate reduction 10-15 points, it will be considered good reduction \>15 points, it will be considered very good reduction

  3 sessions per patient at 1-month intervals Follow-up: 1 month after last session

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Quartile grading scale improvement - Dermoscopic evaluation (erythema, pigmentation, photodamage, follicle density)

  3 sessions per patient at 1-month intervals Follow-up: 1 month after last session

Study Arms (3)

subcision alone

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Procedure: subcision

subcision+fractional co2 laser

EXPERIMENTAL

Procedure: subcision+fractional co2 laser

subcision+platelet rich plasma

EXPERIMENTAL

Biological: subcision+PRP

Interventions

subcision PROCEDURE

patients will undergo subcision procedure alone using 18 gauge blunt cannula to release fibrous bands under atrophic acne scars.this group will serve as control comparator

subcision alone

subcision+fractional co2 laser PROCEDURE

patients will undergo subcision procedure followed by fractional co2 laser applied to right side of face, the left side will receive subcision alone

subcision+fractional co2 laser

subcision+PRP BIOLOGICAL

patients will undergo subcision procedure followed by intradermal injection of autologous PRP prepared from patients blood on right side.left side will receive subcision alone

subcision+platelet rich plasma

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• \- Adult patients of both sexes with mild to severe atrophic post-acne scars.

You may not qualify if:

• \- Age \< 18 years
• Pregnant or lactating women
• Active inflammatory acne or infection in treatment area
• Premalignant or malignant lesions
• Photosensitive dermatoses
• Coagulation defects or blood disease
• History of keloid scars
• Systemic retinoid use in previous 6 months

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Assiut University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Assiut University Hospitals, Dermatology Department

Asyut, Asyut Governorate, Egypt

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Tran BQ, Tran TNA, Doan EVL, Nguyen TTP, Nguyen HT. Simultaneous versus sequential fractional CO2 laser and subcision combination for management of post-acne atrophic scars: A split-face comparative study. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2024 Oct;23(10):3210-3221. doi: 10.1111/jocd.16395. Epub 2024 May 21.

  PMID: 38770894 BACKGROUND

• Abdelwahab AA, Omar GAB, Hamdino M. A combined subcision approach with either fractional CO2 laser (10,600 nm) or cross-linked hyaluronic acid versus subcision alone in atrophic post-acne scar treatment. Lasers Med Sci. 2022 Dec 24;38(1):20. doi: 10.1007/s10103-022-03677-y.

  PMID: 36564573 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Related Info

Study Officials

• Azza Mahfouz Abdel Meguid

  Assiut University

  STUDY CHAIR

• Reham Maher Abd El Gaber

  Assiut University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Yasmeen Gamal Abdel Halim

CONTACT

01024164345; ysoo122221@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: doctor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 22, 2025
• First Posted: September 30, 2025
• Study Start: November 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Last Updated: October 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Locations

EG (1)