Trial reportJournal of cosmetic dermatology2025
Efficacy of Microneedle Fractional Radiofrequency Combined With Topical Insulin for the Treatment of Facial Atrophic Acne Scars: A Split-Face, Double-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Laser, Microneedling, and Combination Therapies for Moderate to Severe Acne Atrophic Scars: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Minimally invasive interventions for atrophic acne scars: a PubMed/PMC-based systematic evidence review and exploratory network meta-analysis toward phenotype-guided interpretation.Frontiers in surgery · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionTopical insulin (TI) has been shown to enhance wound healing by promoting re-epithelialization and collagen synthesis. However, there have been limited studies addressing its potential use in treating acne scars.
objectivesTo assess the efficacy of combining TI with microneedle fractional radiofrequency (MFR) in the treatment of atrophic acne scars. MATERIALS AND
methodA split-face, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial involved 30 participants with atrophic acne scars. Each side of the participants' face was randomly treated with a combination of MFR and TI or a placebo every 4 weeks for four consecutive sessions.
resultsSignificant improvements in scar volume were observed, with statistical significance at week 12 for MFR combined with TI sides (baseline 18.22 ± 9.86 vs. 16.20 ± 8.58 mm
conclusionCombining topical insulin with MFR is safe and could accelerate the early acne scar improvement.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.