Within‐individual studies
Study	Interventions	Summary Outcomes	Comment
Alam 2014	One side: Needling Other side: untreated control	Improvement of acne scars (6 months): Participants perceived a 41% mean improvement in overall scar appearance on the treated side. In the needling group, scar scores were significantly lower at 6 months compared with baseline (MD 3.4, 95% CI 0.2 to 6.5; P = 0.03). In the untreated control group, mean scar scores did not vary significantly from baseline at 6 months (MD 0.4, 95% CI −2.8 to 3.5; P > 0.99). Participant satisfaction: Most participants were very satisfied with their procedure. Any adverse events: No adverse events were reported. The mean pain rating was 1.08.	Alam 2014 did not assess the primary outcome ‘Participant‐reported failure of treatment’ nor the secondary outcomes ‘Investigator‐reported failure of treatment’, ‘Quality of life’ and ‘Post‐procedure down time’.