Abstract
Striae alba, as an unsettling skin complication, has the potential to threaten the physical appearance and psychological health of individuals. So far, dermatologists’ endeavors have been futile in finding an ideal treatment. This study evaluated microneedling as a novel treatment modality for striae alba scars. Microneedling was implemented in 1–3 sessions in 2-week intervals among patients with striae alba lesions. The lesions were photographed before and 3 months after the treatment, while all side effects were recorded. Two non-involved dermatologists and a patient self-report based on a visual analog score scale were utilized to evaluate the clinical improvement of striae scars. The complication rate among the 32 patients was 25%, which consisted of seven (21.9%) cases of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and one case (3.1%) of skin infection. The average improvement score among the patients in our study based on their self-report was 5.3 ± 1.3. (Range 4–8), while based on physician evaluation was 5.6 ± 1.2 (range 3.5–8). There was a significant association between lower age and higher self-report scores. Also, the improvement of lesions was more significant in skin type 3 compared to 2, based on physician assessment. In this study, MN was effective in ameliorating SA scars and was observed to induce better clinical satisfaction in younger patients and breast lesions. The studies concerning the use of MN in treating SA have yielded much attention lately, and they have denoted the relatively low cost of MN, its capability to be utilized over vast treatment areas, and its safety in that regard. Further research regarding the comparison of MN’s efficacy in solo use versus implementing it as an adjuvant modality should be carried out.
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The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to patients’ details, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This study was the subject of the dissertation of subspecialty in Dermatology of Dr. Reza Moeine. The authors would like to thank the assistance of FatemehSadat Pezeshkian and Reza Shahriarirad in the preparation of the manuscript.
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AS and FI conducted the study. GF and SMH collected the data and RM drafted the manuscript. All authors’ proof read and confirmed the final version of the manuscript.
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All methods were carried out following relevant guidelines and regulations and approved by the Ethics committee of the Isfahan University of Medical Science. Written informed consent was obtained from the patients. Patients' data were anonymized prior to analysis, and their confidentiality was secured by the researcher. All study protocols and data collection were performed following the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the mentioned ethics committee.
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Siadat, A., Moeine, R., Iraji, F. et al. Evaluating the efficacy of microneedling technique in treating striae alba lesions. Arch Dermatol Res 315, 2075–2078 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-023-02601-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-023-02601-w