For patients with Fitzpatrick Skin Phototype IV to VI with atrophic acne scars, microneedling provides better treatment outcomes than 35 percent glycolic acid chemical peels, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology .

Fatima Ishfaq, M.D., from Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and colleagues compared the efficacy of microneedling versus 35 percent glycolic acid chemical peels in 60 patients with Fitzpatrick Skin Phototype IV to VI with atrophic acne scars. Participants were randomly assigned to microneedling every two weeks for 12 weeks or chemical peeling every two weeks for 12 weeks (groups A and B, respectively).

The researchers found that compared with group B, group A demonstrated more improved outcomes in acne scar treatment, with 73.33 and 33.33 percent of patients in groups A and B, respectively, achieving treatment efficacy, represented by an improvement greater than one grade from baseline according to the Goodman and Baron Scarring Grading System, measured two weeks after completion of the last treatment session. Furthermore, 26.67 and 66.67 percent of patients in groups A and B, respectively, showed no efficacy after treatment.

"Based on our study's findings, we envision either using microneedling as a first line option followed by chemical peels if limited improvement is witnessed, or using them in combination with one another," the authors write.

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