Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr-Jun;17(2):137-145.
doi: 10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_64_23.

PRP and its benefit as an adjunctive therapy with subcision and microneedling in atrophic scars: a comparative study

Affiliations

PRP and its benefit as an adjunctive therapy with subcision and microneedling in atrophic scars: a comparative study

Aditi Vashisht et al. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2024 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Context: Scarring is a biological process of wound repair which leads to a difference in the normal structure and function of the skin and manifests as a depressed or raised area. Treatment of scars is challenging. A number of therapeutic approaches like surgical techniques and non-surgical techniques are performed to improve scarring.

Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of subcision followed by microneedling versus subcision followed by microneedling and topical platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in atrophic scars.

Materials and methods: A comparative prospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in North India to compare the efficacy of subcision followed by microneedling versus subcision followed by microneedling and topical PRP. A total of 40 cases were taken and were randomly divided into two groups, A and B of 20 patients in each group. Topical PRP was applied as an additional therapy in Group B in the same sitting. Minimum three sittings were done in each patient at an interval of 4 weeks and results were assessed after 1 month of the third session. The statistical software used is Microsoft Excel and SPSS software program, version 24.0 for analysis of data and Microsoft Word to generate graphs and tables.

Results: Improvement in scar grading was more in Group B as compared to Group A with statistically significant difference (P = 0.032). There was an improvement in scar grading from grade 4 scar to grade 2 in 15% and 30% patients of Groups A and B, respectively, with improvement in skin texture and pigmentation more in Group B.

Conclusion: PRP proved to add to the improvement of grade of atrophic scars when combined with subcision and microneedling.

Keywords: Atrophic scars; acne scars; microneedling; platelet-rich plasma; subcision.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Acne scarring severity grading per Goodman and Baron
Figure 2
Figure 2
Types of atrophic acne scars among the study groups
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of scar grading (Goodman and Baron Qualitative Grading system) before intervention among the study groups
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of scar grading (Goodman and Baron Qualitative Grading system) after intervention among the study groups
Figure 5
Figure 5
Comparison of secondary complications among the study groups
Figure 6
Figure 6
(A and B) Pretreatment photographs of the patient with acne scars. (C and D) Posttreatment photographs 1 month after three sessions of subcision followed by microneedling
Figure 7
Figure 7
(A and B) Pretreatment photographs of atrophic acne scars. (C and D) Posttreatment photograph after three sessions of subcision and microneedling
Figure 8
Figure 8
(A and B) Pretreatment photographs of the patient with acne scars. (C and D) Posttreatment photographs 1 month after three sessions of subcision followed by microneedling and topical PRP
Figure 9
Figure 9
(A and B) Pretreatment photographs of the patient with acne scars. (C and D) Posttreatment photographs 1 month after three sessions of subcision followed by microneedling and topical PRP
Figure 10
Figure 10
(A and B) Pretreatment photographs of the patient with acne scars. (C and D) Posttreatment photographs 1 month after three sessions of subcision followed by microneedling and topical PRP shows reduction in scar grading along with significant reduction in pigmentation

References

    1. Breathnach SM, McGrath JA. Wound healing. In: Burns T, Breathnach S, Cox N, Griffiths C, editors. Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology. 7th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd; 2004. pp. 11.1–11.25.
    1. Slavin JW. Trichloroacetic acid peels. Aesthet Surg J. 2004;24:469–70. - PubMed
    1. Majid I. Microneedling therapy in atrophic facial scars: an objective assessment. J Cutaneous Aesthet Surg. 2009;2:26–30. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gawdat HI, Hegazy RA, Fawzy MM, Fathy M. Autologous platelet rich plasma: topical versus intradermal after fractional ablative carbon dioxide laser treatment of atrophic acne scars. Dermatol Surg. 2014;40:152–61. - PubMed
    1. Zhu JT, Xuan M, Zhang YN, Liu HW, Cai JH, Wu YH, et al. The efficacy of autologous platelet-rich plasma combined with erbium fractional laser therapy for facial acne scars or acne. Mol Med Rep. 2013;8:233–7. - PubMed