Second Study Confirms PRP Therapy As an Acne Scar Treatment

Fresh off the heels of a study that showed PRP therapy can help as treatment for acne scars when combined with ablative CO2 laser therapy, another study just published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology confirms PRP is an acne scar treatment when combined with subcision and needling.

Both studies were relatively small in terms of their sample size meaning that their conclusions are not yet considered fact. Still, the results demonstrated by the 30 patients who participated in the second study imply that PRP therapy may be very beneficial to acne sufferers.

More About the Study

Current treatments for acne scars include a process known as subcision. This procedure is performed using a needle inserted under the surface of the skin through a puncture. The doctor then uses the needle to loosen underlying scar tissue so that it can be gently pulled away.

While there is compelling evidence that subcision is very helpful in dealing with major scars, there is always the risk that new scar tissue will grow in to replace that which was removed. Subcision is also treatment that does not work for everyone. Perhaps combining it with PRP therapy is the answer.

Test subjects were randomly divided into two groups: one group received only subcision and needling treatment while the other received subcision, needling, and a topical PRP application. Each test subject received three treatments at three-week intervals and were observed over a three-month follow-up period.

Test subjects were graded as either showing poor improvement, good improvement, very good improvement, and excellent improvement. Each of the grades was assigned a percentage to demonstrate the level of improvement. For example, 75% to 100% improvement was considered very good. Here are the results:

• Subcision and needling only – 60% showed good improvement
• Subcision, needling, and PRP – 66.6% showed very good improvement.

Researchers concluded that “platelet-rich plasma appears to add to the improvement of grade 4 atrophic acne scars when combined with needling and subcision.” They also stated that further research is warranted.

PRP Applied Topically

There were a lot of interesting aspects to the study, not the least of which is the fact that researchers applied the PRP material topically. PRP utilized for hair loss, osteoarthritis, and musculoskeletal issues is usually injected into the treatment site. Applying it topically in this case seemed to be beneficial in preventing new scar tissue from growing back after the original tissue was loosened and removed.

A topical application makes complete sense in this case, explains the Advanced Regenerative Medicine Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah. Where the treatment site for osteoarthritis is in the actual joints, the treatment site here is the surface of the skin. It makes sense to apply PRP topically rather than attempt to inject it underneath the remaining skin at the treatment site.

A Better Treatment for Acne

It would be nice to see the results of this research encourage other scientists to look at PRP as a better treatment for acne overall. If it shows promise in helping to reduce acne scars, perhaps PRP could someday be used to combat acne in its earliest stages, long before it ever leads to scarring.

All of that aside, the research does prove yet again that the power of platelet-rich plasma as a healing tool is impressive. The more we learn about it, the more we realize what we just don’t know. We could be on the verge of some incredible breakthroughs that could eventually see regenerative medicine completely transform how we treat everything from acne to cancer.