Efficacy and Safety of Punch Elevation Combined with Dermapen in Treating Boxcar Post-acne Scars: A Paired Comparison Study in Syria

Background: Atrophic scars following acne vulgaris are considered an aesthetic, psychological, and social problem for patients, and despite the existence of many treatment options, finding modern treatments is a necessity to reduce side effects associated with current therapies and reduce the financial burden on patients. Objectives: to evaluate the efficacy of punch elevation combined with dermapen in treating atrophic scars following acne vulgaris on the cheeks, and to evaluate patients' satisfaction with this procedure. Methods: This clinical trial involved 19 patients to evaluate the efficacy of punch elevation combined with dermapen in treating post-acne scars. Results: According to the Goodman and Baroon scale for acne scars, and after 6 months, the percentage of grade 4 decreased from 26.3% to 10.5%, grade 3 decreased from 73.7% to 31.6%, grade 2 increased from 0% to 52.6%, and grade 1 increased from 0% to 5.3%. p - value was less than 0.005, indicating a relationship between the degrees of atrophic scars on the Goodman-Baron qualitative scale after 6 months of treatment. According to the improvement scale, good improvement was 10.5%, acceptable improvement was 57.9% and no improvement was 31.6%. Patients were satisfied with the procedure after 3-6 months according to the modified Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale for Patient Evaluation.