Use of nanofractional radiofrequency for the treatment of acne scars in Indian skin.

BACKGROUND: Pitted acne scars of all types remain notoriously challenging to treat with no satisfactory treatment modality, particularly true for darker Fitzpatrick skin types such as Indian skin.

AIM: Nanofractional radiofrequency has been shown to be an effective treatment modality for the cosmetic improvement of acne scars.

METHODS: Twenty healthy male and female Indian patients aged 16-60 years with Fitzpatrick skin types IV-V and moderate-to-severe acne scar lesions received 1-3 treatments with a nanofractional radiofrequency device (Venus Viva) at baseline and at 3- to 6 week intervals and were evaluated with photographs at each treatment visit and up to 6 months after the final treatment session. Patients reported on their satisfaction with the treatment. The safety of treatments was evaluated by the frequency, severity, and type of adverse events.

RESULTS: The majority of study patients achieved improvement in the appearance of their acne scar lesions. There was less improvement on ice pick scar compared to box and rolling type scars, with less impact on ice pick scar type. Overall patient satisfaction from treatment at the 6-month follow-up visit was very high. Adverse events were mild but transient in nature.

CONCLUSION: The data and results presented here support the efficacy of nanofractional radiofrequency used for the cosmetic improvement of acne scar lesions in facial skin. Moreover, the favorable adverse event profile witnessed in this trial underscores the safety of this technology for cosmetic facial treatments such as facial acne scar lesion therapy in darker Fitzpatrick skin types.