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Simple Microneedling Versus Microneedling With Topical Insulin In The Treatment Of Post Acne Atrophic Scars; A Split
Maira Ali1, Najia Ahmed1, Seemab Khan1
1Department of Dermatology, PNS Shifa, Karachi, Pakistan.
Background:
Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition, involving upto 90% of the teenage population, being more common in women than in men. Post acne scars are the sequelae, leading to low esteem and self confidence in the affected individuals.
Methods:
Thirty patients participated in the study. On each patient, over the left side of the face, microneedling was done using topical insulin as a medium, while on the right side of the face, simple microneedling was done. Four such sessions, a month apart, were done in all the patients. They were called for follow up and the response was based on the "Acne scar assessment scale", in which Grade-0 referred to no improvement, Grade-1 referred to an improvement of less than 25%, Grade-2 was an improvement between 25-50%, Grade-3 meant an improvement between 50-75%, and, Grade-4 referred to an improvement of greater than 75%.
Results:
After completion of the sessions, over the left side of the face, where microneedling was done with insulin 11 (36.7%) patients showed Grade-2 improvement, while 19 (63.3%) patients showed Grade-3 improvement. On the right side of the face where simple microneedling was done, 10 (33.3%) patients showed an improvement of Grade-0, and 20 (66.6%) patients showed an improvement of Grade-1.
Conclusions:
After this study, we conclude that microneedling combined with topical insulin, shows better results in patients with scarring. It can be a breakthrough in the treatment of post acne scars, due to easier availability and lesser cost of insulin.
