Depressed Acne Scars—Effective, Minimal Downtime Treatment with a Novel Smooth Motion Non-Insulated Microneedle Radiofrequency Technology

Abstract

Ba ckground: The microneedle fractional RF handpiece used in our s tudy (Intensif Handpiece, EndyMed Medical, Caesarea, Israel) is a novel handpiece that uses a tip with 25 non-insulated, gold plated microneedle electrodes. The needles are inserted into the skin by a specially designed electronically controlled, smooth motion motor minimizing patient discomfort. RF emission delivered over the whole dermal portion of the needle allows effective coagulation resulting in minimal or no bleeding, together with bulk volumetric heating. Study Design/Materials and Methods: The study included 20 patients, treated for depressed acne scars using the Intensif TM Microneedles handpiece (EndyMed PRO Platform System, EndyMed Medical, Caesarea, Israel). The degree of clinical improvement was assessed by the global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS) and subjects satisfaction by post treatment questionnaires. Results: The number of treatments per patient varied between 1 and 6 (average 3.3 treatments per patient). Eleven patients (55%) reported none to minimal pain, six (30%) moderate discomfort and only three (15%) reported significant pain. Objective evaluation of the improvement by a board certified dermatologist showed improvement in 95% of patients. 25% showed excellent improvement, 50% experienced good improvement, and the 20% showed minimal improvement. One patient showed no improvement. Conclusions: The presented results show that the tested electronically controlled motorized insertion, non-insulated microneedle treatment technology provides a minimal discomfort, minimal downtime, effective and safe treatment for depressed acne scars.