Treatment of atrophic acne scars with 1046nm Nd:YAG and TCA CROSS technique

Background Various modalities had been tried for treatment of acne scars. Both 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser and chemical reconstruction of skin scars (CROSS) using high trichloroacetic acid (TCA) concentrations have been used in the treatment of atrophic acne scars and depressed wrinkles. Objective To compare the effect of the nonablative 1064 nm Nd:YAG with the 100% TCA CROSS technique in the treatment of atrophic acne scars in patients with darker skin complexion. Patients and methods Twenty patients with bilateral postacne scars on the face were enrolled in this study. TCA 100% CROSS method was performed on the left side of the face, and nonablative longpulsed 1064nm Nd:YAG treatment was given on the right side of the same patient. Results There was statistically significant improvement (P 0.001) in the degree of scar severity in all patients according to the qualitative global acne scarring system grading. Comparing scar improvement of left with right sides of the face showed that, although scar severity improvement was slightly higher on the TCA CROSS side, yet, this difference was statistically insignificant (P 0.05). Conclusion Nd:YAG seems to be a safer method to treat atrophic acne scars, especially of the rolling type, than the high-concentration TCA CROSS technique.