Background: Laser surgery is not just an effective treatment for acne scars, but is also easier to use than other treatment modalities. Different types of laser modalities, such as non-ablative and ablative lasers, are effective in treating atrophic acne scars, except for the deep ice-pick scars.
Aim: The present study was aimed at evaluating the efficacy and the safety of fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser in treatment of facial atrophic acne scars along with the consequential change in the quality of life of such patients.
Material and Methods: The study was a hospital based prospective observational study where 30 adults (aged 18 or above) patients diagnosed with atrophic acne scars children attending dermatology OPD at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Mumbai were included in the study and treated with fractional CO2 laser. Acne scar grading of the patients was done on the basis of Goodman and Baron qualitative as well as quantitative scale and echelled’evaluationclinique des cicatrices d’acne (ECCA) grading scale for acne scars.
Results: The mean Goodman and Baron score before treatment was 24.97±9.90. But after treatment it was significantly decreased to 15.46±6.37. After the treatment, erythema (53%) and edema (47%) were observed as most common immediate side effects of the treatment.
Conclusion: Fractional CO2 laser treatment has contributed significantly not just in improving the clinical appearance and other parameters of the treatment areas but also in enhancing the quality of their life of these affected patients.
Keywords
Fractional CO2 Laser; Facial Atrophic Acne; Goodman and Baron Score; Quality of Life