Fractional CO2 laser as monotherapy or combined with platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of atrophic postacne scars: A narrative review

Acne scars are the unfortunate outcome of acne vulgaris. It is a common problem that faces many young adults and can cause severe distress and impair their quality of life. Different therapeutic modalities have been tried for atrophic acne scars; however, no standard treatment has been identified yet. In this review, we are focusing on fractional CO2 laser (FCL), whether used as monotherapy or combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP), trying to highlight the efficacy and safety of such modalities in the treatment of atrophic acne scarring. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were used to search for relevant studies that were published in the period from January 2017 to December 2022. We used a combination of the following keywords: “acne scar,” “acne scars,” “modalities for acne scars” in addition to the names of additional therapies studied in this review, such as “laser and acne scars,” “plateletrich plasma,” “platelet-rich plasma,” “PRP,” and “platelet-rich plasma therapy and acne scars”. Twelve studies were found utilizing the use of FCL whether used as monotherapy or combined with PRP in the treatment of atrophic acne scarring. Most of the studies showed that acne scars improved with both treatment modalities, but the combination approach yielded better results with less incidence of side effects.