Of trial design: Treatment of depressed acne scars requires multiple modalities. Although needle subcision is a valuable method, it exhibits mild to moderate efficacy in treatment of deep acne scars owing to the high recurrence rate and other side effects. A total of 100 patients with rolling acne scars were randomly treated using the standard technique of 18 gauge cannula and 27 gauge needle subcision in two parallel groups, and the effect of cannula subcision instead of needle subcision was evaluated in the treatment of rolling acne scars.
Methods: A total of 100 patients were randomly treated using the standard technique of 18 gauge cannula and 27 gauge needle subcision. The outcomes of these procedures were assessed by three blinded dermatologists and by patients' satisfaction.
Results: Subcision using the cannula showed good and very good improvement in about 83% of patients (n = 50, P < .05) based on dermatologists investigation and almost no side effects were observed in compared with needle subcision. The response rate was significantly different while using cannula subcision.
Conclusion: Cannula subcision appears to be a safe and practical technique that can enhance the efficacy of subcision without considerable complications.
Keywords: acne; cannula; needle; scar; subcision.
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