Early Postoperative Microneedling May Improve Surgical Scars

FRIDAY, Sept. 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Patients receiving early treatment with minimally invasive percutaneous collagen induction of postsurgical scars (microneedling) may have better aesthetic outcomes, according to a study published in the September issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

R. Brannon Claytor, M.D., from Claytor/Noone Plastic Surgery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and colleagues examined the utility and safety of minimally invasive percutaneous collagen induction in acute postsurgical scars in a study involving 25 patients. In the postoperative period, participants received three treatments of minimally invasive percutaneous collagen induction.

The researchers found that compared with initial measurement, at 16-week posttreatment initiation evaluation, patients had positive improvement in Vancouver Scar Scale, Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale, and Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale scores. When comparing the age of the patient, location of scars, or Fitzpatrick phototype scales among patients, no statistically significant differences were noted. A statistically significant difference in the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale was seen when comparing patients who began treatment early (six to seven weeks postoperatively) with those who began treatment late (13 to 16 weeks postoperatively).

“Although optimal timing of initiation of treatment is still a matter of further investigation, our results showing that microneedling need not be delayed until six to 12 months postoperatively when looking for scar optimization is an important starting point and addition to the literature,” the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to Allergan and Crown Medical.

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