Introduction: Acne scarring is a common
undesirable complication of acne vulgaris.
Fractional erbium-yttrium aluminum garnet
(YAG) 2940 nm laser and platelet-rich plasma
have been used in treating acne scars with
variable outcomes. The objective of this study is
to assess the efficacy of fractional erbium-YAG
2940 nm laser and platelet-rich plasma as a
single line of treatment in comparison with
combined treatment in atrophic postacne scars.
Methods: Seventy-five patients were included
in this trial and randomized into three equal
groups (25 each). Group A was subjected to six
sessions of erbium-YAG laser for 6 months,
group B was treated with 12 sessions of plateletrich
plasma over the same period, and group C
was subjected to six sessions of erbium-YAG
laser plus 12 sessions of platelet-rich plasma
over the same period. Each subject was evaluated
by acne scar grading, photography, and
subjective evaluation.
Results: Both treatment modalities showed
improvement of acne scars, but the improvement
with combined treatment was better than
that with erbium-YAG laser or platelet-rich
plasma alone regarding scar grade improvement
(P = 0.007 and 0.001), clinical improvement
(P = 0.001 and 0.001), and patient satisfaction
(P = 0.005 and 0.001), respectively.
Conclusions: The combination of platelet-rich
plasma plus erbium-YAG laser is superior to
either treatment alone for acne scars, with
trivial side effects for all treatment modalities.
Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier;
NCT03933033