Subcision in acne scar with and without subdermal implant: a clinical trial

Background Subcision is a procedure that has been reported to be beneficial in treatment of acne scars. Objective This stady aims to assess the efficacy of subcision in the treatment of rolling acne scars and evaluate a novel subdermal filler 'absorbable plain catgut suture' with subcision. Methods Twenty-two patients with rolling acne scars underwent subcision, 20 of whom completed treatment and follow-up period. One side of the face underwent subcision and another side subcision with subdermal implant. The patients and investigators' assessment of improvement were both recorded. Results Subcision showed mild improvement in about 60% of patient and moderate improvement in about 40% of them. The rate of response showed no significant difference with the use of subdermal implant. The side-effects of local oedema, bruising and infection were all transient. Conclusions Subcision seems to be a safe method to correct the rolling acne scars with long-term improvement. However, the subdermal implant led to no significant superior results.