Comparison of Micro Needling plus Topical Insulin with Micro Needling Alone In Patients with Atrophic Acne Scars: A Split Face Study

Objective: To study the efficacy of topical Insulin with microneedling compared to microneedling alone in atrophic acne scars. Study Design: Prospective, split face, comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Dermatology, Combined Military Hospital, Gujranwala Pakistan, from Jan to Jul 2021. Methodology: Fifty patients with atrophic acne scars from the dermatology outpatient department were selected. The right half of the face was treated with microneedling with Dermapen, keeping the needle depth at 2 mm, along with 40 units of Insulin, while the left half was treated with microneedling alone. The sessions were repeated at monthly intervals for a total of 3 sessions. Goodman and Baron’s quantitative scar scale was assessed at the beginning and then one month after the last (3rd) session, and improvement was measured.Results: Pre-treatment Goodman and Barons quantitative score mean on the right half was 20.44±3.54 whereas on the left half was 20.62±3.23. Post-procedure Goodman and Baron’s quantitative grading scale mean score on the right half was 9.78±2.88 while on the left half, 10.54±2.27. The improvement in mean global scores on the right and left halves was 10.66±2.11 and 10.08±1.88, respectively. The paired sample t-test showed a significant difference (p<0.001) in the scores of both the right and the left halves. Conclusion: Microneedling alone and combined with Insulin effectively treats atrophic acne scars.