ArticleLife (Basel, Switzerland)2025
Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Fractional Laser and Fractional Radiofrequency for Atrophic Acne Scars: A Retrospective Propensity Score Analysis.
Article in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Comparing fractional CO₂ laser and needling-based modalities in facial acne scar treatment: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.Lasers in medical science · 2026Pooled it
- Prospective Evaluation of a Fractional 675-nm Nonablative Laser for Atrophic Acne Scars in Fitzpatrick Skin Types III-IV.Lasers in surgery and medicine · 2026Trial
- Transdermal Delivery of Poly-L-Lactic Acid via Fractional Microneedle Radiofrequency for Atrophic Acne Scars: A Split-Face Randomized Study in Fitzpatrick Skin Types III to V.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Article
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
Fractional laser (FL) and fractional radiofrequency (FRF) are effective treatments for atrophic acne scars, yet comparative data in Asian populations with darker skin types remain limited. This retrospective cohort study compared the clinical effectiveness and safety of FL and FRF in Thai patients aged 18-60 years with Fitzpatrick skin types III-IV who underwent at least two treatment sessions between 2012 and 2023. Baseline characteristics were balanced using propensity score stratification, and missing data were addressed through multiple imputation with chained equations. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients achieving ≥25% improvement in scarring at 6 months, with equivalence testing performed using a 20% margin. A total of 397 patients (254 FL, 143 FRF) were included, with balanced baseline characteristics after stratification. At 6 months, 88.1% of FRF-treated and 71.9% of FL-treated patients achieved the primary endpoint. FRF showed numerically greater mean improvement at all time points, though differences were not statistically significant. FL met the non-inferiority criterion but not equivalence. FRF was associated with significantly higher pain scores (
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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.