Comparative study of microneedling monotherapy versus microneedling with autologous platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of stretch marks (striae distensae) and post-surgical scars: Clinical and dermoscopy outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

Stretch marks and post-surgical scar marks may have negative cosmetic and psychological impacts.. Thus, this study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of microneedling monotherapy versus microneedling in combination with autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of stretch marks and post-surgical scars.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This was a prospective randomized non-controlled study. A total of 30 study participants with stretch marks and post-surgery scars were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups, each with 15 study participants. All received three treatment sessions using microneedling monotherapy (Group A) or autologous PRP with microneedling (Group B) at 4-week intervals. Clinical response to treatment was assessed at the end of 20 weeks by comparing clinical photographs, Manchester Scar scale (MSS) score, dermoscopy images, and patient satisfaction scores.

RESULTS

At the end of the study, statistically significant esthetic improvement in terms of MSS scores was seen in Group B when compared to Group A. In Group A, 73.3% of the study participants were satisfied while in Group B, 86.6% were very satisfied with the results. Dermoscopy pictures substantiated the findings of clinical improvement. No major side effects were documented.

CONCLUSION

PRP in combination with microneedling has a better outcome as compared to microneedling monotherapy. Furthermore, dermoscopy is a non-invasive tool that can be used to evaluate therapeutic response.