MICRO NEEDLING VERSUS CARBON DIOXIDE FRACTIONAL LASER IN MANAGEMENT OF ACNE SCARS

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of carbon dioxide fractional laser with micro needling in acne scarring. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Dermatology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from Jun 2019 to Mar 2020. Methodology: Overall 40 patients with acne scars assessed by consultant dermatologist were made part of study. The patients were divided into two treatment groups through lottery method. Group A, was managed by micro needling technique, while Group B was managed by carbon dioxide fractional laser, each to be done monthly for a total of three sessions. The response was measured by the dermatologist and patients in both the groups. The side effects were also compared in both the groups. Results: Out of 40 patients with acne scars included in study, 17 (42.5%) underwent micro-needling while 23 (57.5%) underwent carbon dioxide fractional laser treatment after randomization. Thirty (75%) patients were female while 10 (25%) were male. The patients with acne scars responded better in carbon dioxide fractional laser group as compared to micro needling in opinion of dermatologists (p-value=0.01) and also patients themselves (p-value=0.03). Side effects were significantly higher in carbon dioxide fractional laser group as compared to micro needling (p-value=0.02). Conclusion: Significant number of patients respond well to carbon dioxide fractional laser treatment and the response included both expert opinion and patients own opinion, but adverse effects were seen more in same group. Therefore, better response but at the cost of more adverse effects was noted.