Efficacy of fractional radiofrequency in reducing sebum production and improving atrophic acne scar

One of the most common diseases that affect the world population is acne. Acne can result in acne scars, which can cause a psychological stress for patient. Currently there are many available treatment modalities for acne scars. One of the most commonly used is laser treatment. However, some of the treatments such as ablative laser requires a lot of post-operative care and have many reported side effects. Therefore, a new modality such as fractional radiofrequency recently gains a popularity due to its favorable outcome with less downtime. Apart from its use to treat acne scars, there are also reports of fractional RF on treating hyperhidrosis and reduce sebum production. This study primarily studies the use of fractional RF in reducing facial sebum production concomitantly with its treatment on acne scars. The result of sebum production will be evaluated both objectively and subjectively with sebumeter, sebaceous gland histology and subject’s evaluation scale respectively. While acne scars will be graded by ECCA score, Goodman and Baron’s qualitative grading system, acne scars volume measurement from Antera 3D camera, and lastly subject’s evaluation scale. The result from sebumeter revealed statistically decrease (P value < 0.05) in sebum production since the first treatment which also continue throughout the study period. There was also a supportive histology result, with a decrease in density and size of sebaceous glands. The mean acne scar volume also statistically decreased without a significant increase in a mean melanin level. In conclusion, Fractora 24 coated head pin arrays is an effective way to decrease facial sebum production and acne scar volume without causing the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.