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Relieve Acne Scars with Microneedling Radiofrequency 

Dealing with active acne and acne scars is a problem that so many of us face. To make matters worse, acne scars are one of the more difficult disorders to treat in aesthetic dermatology. As such, both patients and doctors are searching for the safest and more effective methods to solve acne problems.

Acne scars generally vary between different subtypes according to the severity of inflammation and the deepness of the scars. Two of the more common types of scars are ice-pick scars and boxcar scars, with boxcar scars being further subdivided into superficial and deep boxcar scars. Ice-pick scars appear as small, sharp margins that penetrate deep into the skin. Boxcar scars, on the other hand, have a broad, porous appearance. Beyond simply textural issues with acne scarring, many people suffer from redness and hyperpigmentation. This can leave devastatingly noticeable blemishes on the skin.

Standard treatment for acne scarring usually consists of either full-face CO2 treatment or laser resurfacing, with the former tending to show greater results. These procedures, however, tend to carry a significant risk of dyspigmentation, infection, further scarring, and extensive recovery time. Even more so, they present risks for patients with darker skin types because they pose a great risk of post-inflammatory hypopigmentation (PIH).

Fortunately, recent studies have illustrated that Microneedle Radiofrequency (MRF) techniques can bypass many of these issues and safely treat both active acne and acne scarring. One of the greatest advantages of MRF is that it can safely be applied to patients of all skin types. This is because MRF works by applying a very specific temperature of heat directly to the dermis (the dermis is the area beneath the outer layer of the skin that contains living tissue and proteins that make up the structure of the skin) through a number of very small microneedles. This then creates microthermal zones (MTZs) that only apply the radiofrequency energy in the specific areas of the skin desired, while other areas remain untouched.

Side-by-side comparison studies of CO2 and MRF techniques have illustrated that MRF resulted in the same degree of clarity from acne scarring as did CO2. However, the patients who received the MRF techniques reported that there was very little pain, and needed 5x less recovery time than the patients who received the full-face CO2 treatment. Additionally, none of the patients who received the MRF treatment suffered from PIH, while some patients under the CO2 treatment noticed PIH after about 3 weeks.

In sum, Microneedle Radiofrequency is a treatment option for active acne and acne scarring that has been reported successful and associated with a high degree of efficiency and safety. Patient results can be seen in the ‘Photo Gallery’ section under “B&A MRF Acne Scarring.” Give us a call if you any questions or would like to schedule a consultation.

Anaheim Medical & Cosmetic Clinic. (657) 230-9434.