Applied Lasers in Acne Scar Treatment: A Brief Review

Scar of Acne is a prevalent condition that may lead negative impact on the patients’ quality of life and is frequently might be worsened by aging. A number of options are available for the treatment of acne scarring, including retinoid, microdermabrasion, dermal fillers, and surgical techniques such as subcision. The aim of this study is to review the different laser modalities that have been applied in clinical studies for treatment of acne scars, and summarize current clinical approaches.Methods: A Medline search spanning was performed on acne scarring. Search terms included "atrophic acne scars," "ablative'', "non-ablative," "fractional," "non-fractional," "neodymium," "alexandrite," "pulsed dye" lasers, and results are summarized.Results: Various types of lasers have been evaluated for the treatment of atrophic acne scars. While they are efficacious overall, they differ in terms of side effects and clinical outcomes, depending on patients’ skin and acne scar type. A new emerging trend is to combine lasers with other energy-based devices and/or topical.Conclusions: Evaluation of the literature examining acne scar treatment with lasers revealed that clinical outcomes are dependent on various patient factors, including atrophic acne scar subtype, patient skin type, treatment modality, and side-effect profile.