Whole Area versus Focal Acne Scar Treatment (FAST) of Post Acne-Scars by Fractional CO2 Laser: A Comparative Study
Abstract Background Acne scarring is often the primary concern of a patient with acne. Acne scarring can cause depression and is a risk factor for suicide. Patients feel their appearance interferes with their relationships and chances of future employment. Acne scars can be classified into 3 different types: atrophic, hypertrophic, or keloidal. Atrophic acne scars are the most common type. Atrophic acne scars are divided into three main types: ice pick, rolling and boxcar scars. Aim of the Work To compare the results of whole facial area versus Focal Acne Scar Treatment (FAST) by factional CO2 laser in a split face study. Patients and Methods The present study is a split face comparative study which included 20 adult patients with atrophic acne scars ranged from 18 to 44 years old of both sex. The study was approved by the Research Ethical Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University and fulfilled all the ethical aspects required in human research. All patients received full information about description of the procedure of treatment, possible side effects, photo documentation and they all provided written consent. Results Patients were asked to compare the pain, peeling and complications between the right and left sides post CO2 fractional treatment: pain was more at right side in 35% of cases and more at left side in 30% of cases and equal in the rest of cases, peeling was faster at the right side in 60% of cases, faster at the left side in 20% of cases and equal at the rest of cases, 4 of the patients had post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (1 patient at right side, 2 patients at left side and 1 patient at both sides), no other complications were recorded as secondary infection, scaring keloid and prolonged erythema. Conclusion We compared the results of whole facial area treatment in the right side of the face versus Focal Acne Scar Treatment (FAST) in the left side by factional CO2 laser. We discovered that there is a statistically highly significant relationship between the improvement of acne scars and treatment with fractional CO2 laser by the either techniques. Both techniques are preferable in treating acne scars in equal degree.
