Table 1.
Scars treated with microneedling therapy
| Reference | Adjunctive therapy +/− MN therapy | Needle depth | Type of scar | Study design | No of patients (N) | No of sessions (interval) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El-Domyati et al, 201515 | Dermaroller | 1.5 mm | Atrophic acne scars | Prospective clinical study | 10 | 6 (2 weeks) | Increase in the mean of collagen types I, III, and VII, as well as newly synthesized collagen at the end of treatment (p < 0.05). There was a decrease in total elastin production. Patients reported an 80%–85% overall satisfaction (p ≤ 0.01). |
| Majid, 200916 | Dermaroller | 1.5 mm | Atrophic facial scars | Uncontrolled, prospective clinical trial | 37 | 4 (4 weeks) | Per Goodman and Baron’s42 facial scar scale, 94% of patients had a reduction in scar severity by at least 1 grade. Over 80% of patients assessed their response to treatment as “excellent”. |
| Garg and Bajeva, 201417 | 15% TCA peel and subcision +/− Dermaroller | 1.5 mm | Atrophic acne scars | Uncontrolled, prospective clinical trial | 50 | 6 (2 weeks) | Per Goodman and Baron’s42 facial scar scale, 63% with Grade 4 improved to Grade 2 and 38% improved to Grade 3. 23% with Grade 3 had full remission and 68% improved to Grade 2. 100% of Grade 2 had full remission. |
| Cachafeiro et al, 201618 | NFEL 1340 nm +/− Dr. Roller | 2.0 mm | Atrophic acne scars | Evaluator-blinded, prospective RCT | 46 | 3 (4 weeks) | Both groups demonstrated improvement in the degree of their acne scars, with no statistically significant difference found between the groups (p = 0.264). |
| Dogra et al, 201419 | Dermaroller | 1.5 mm | Atrophic acne scars | Uncontrolled, prospective study | 36 | 5 (4 weeks) | Significant decrease in mean acne scar assessment score from 11.73 at baseline to 6.5 after 5 sessions (p < 0.05). Photographic improvement of 50%–75% in majority of patients. |
| Sharad, 201120 | 35% glycolic acid peels +/− Dermaroller MF8 | 1.5 mm | Atrophic acne scars with PIH | Prospective RCT | 30 | 5 (6 weeks) | There was 31% improvement in the MN alone group vs. 62% improvement in the MN with glycolic acid peels group in regards to skin texture and scar appearance (p = 0.001). |
| Aust et al, 201022 | Topical vitamins A and C +/− Medical Roll-CIT | 1.0 mm | Hypertrophic burn scars | Uncontrolled, prospective cohort study | 16 | 1–4 (4 weeks) | Reported satisfaction with scar on VAS increased from 4.5 to 8.5 following treatment. Histologic analysis at 1 year showed increase in collagen and elastin deposition. |
Notes: Dermaroller® and Dermaroller MF8™; Dermaroller Deutschland GmbH, Wolfenbuettel, Germany. Dr. Roller™; Vydence Medical, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. Medical Roll-CIT™; Vivida, Cape Town, South Africa.
Abbreviations: MN, microneedling; N, sample size; TCA, trichloroacetic acid; NFEL, non-ablative fractional erbium laser; RCT, randomized controlled trial; PIH, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation; VAS, visual analog scale (graded from 1 to 10).