{
  "abstract": "Background: Atrophic acne scars are a common and distressing complication of acne vulgaris, with limited consensus on optimal treatment. Radiofrequency microneedling (RFM) and fractional laser are widely used modalities, but their comparative effectiveness remains unclear.\n\nAims: To compare the efficacy and safety of RFM versus fractional laser in treating atrophic acne scars.\n\nMethods: A systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Five databases were searched up to February 2026 for randomized and prospective comparative studies. The primary outcome was ECCA score reduction; secondary outcomes included clinical improvement, patient satisfaction, and adverse events.\n\nResults: Eight studies were included. Both RFM and fractional laser demonstrated statistically significant improvements in acne scar severity across multiple outcome measures (p < 0.05). Patient satisfaction was consistently high, with up to 95% of patients reporting satisfaction in RFM‐treated groups. Several studies demonstrated comparable clinical improvement between RFM and fractional laser, particularly in terms of dermal remodeling and texture enhancement. In addition, RFM was associated with a favorable safety profile, showing fewer pigment‐related adverse events and shorter downtime compared to fractional laser, while reported side effects in both groups were generally mild and transient.\n\nConclusions: RFM and fractional laser are effective for atrophic acne scars. RFM may offer similar efficacy with improved tolerability. Further high‐quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Faculty of Medicine University of Khartoum Khartoum Sudan",
    "College of Medicine Alexandria University Alexandria Egypt",
    "Amiri Hospital Kuwait City Kuwait",
    "Taif University Ta'if Saudi Arabia",
    "College of Medicine Arabian Gulf University Manama Bahrain",
    "East Jeddah General Hospital Jeddah Saudi Arabia",
    "Ministry of Health Kuwait City Kuwait",
    "Faculty of Medicine Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj‐Napoca Romania",
    "King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center Saudi Arabia"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gotof Abdesalam Mustafa",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-0981-7789"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Faisal Fahad AlSuwailem",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-4232-8702"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Fatma H. J. AlAmiri",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-3205-0685"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Rawan Hassan Alzaidi Alotaibi",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-8836-2155"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Zainab Mahmoud Baqer",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-4723-886X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Leena Abdullah Alotaibi",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1611-1349"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Sabah Faisal AlQabandi",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-4585-1042"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Reham Alawi Taqi",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-7082-8540"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Suha Giselle Ghanem",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-3876-5824"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Azhar Abbas Ahmed",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5030-7110"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/epjsxptzvtrvy.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1111/jocd.71025",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13736136/",
  "id": "epjsxptzvtrvy",
  "issns": [
    "1473-2130",
    "1473-2165"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.71025",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Review Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2708|Dermatologic Treatments and Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7225328574",
  "pdf_url": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/jocd.71025",
  "pmcid": "PMC13736136",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-04",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/epjsxptzvtrvy.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T12:21:40Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13736136",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.71025"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2708|Dermatologic Treatments and Research",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Radiofrequency Microneedling Versus Fractional Laser for the Treatment of Atrophic Acne Scars: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis",
  "title_text": "Radiofrequency Microneedling Versus Fractional Laser for the Treatment of Atrophic Acne Scars: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T12:21:40Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/epjsxptzvtrvy",
  "venue": "Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology",
  "versions": []
}