Acne vulgaris is challenging to treat for several individuals.
Laser therapy may be a desirable alternative to traditional
therapies with limited success. This study aimed to assess efficacy of fractional
CO2 laser versus
Nd:YAG laser for
acne vulgaris therapy. Thirty cases with
acne vulgaris underwent both fractional
CO2 laser and
Nd: YAG laser treatments in a randomized split face design at a 14-day interval for four sessions. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by counting
acne lesions and utilizing the Global
Acne Severity Scale (GEA Scale). GEAs decreased significantly after both fractional CO2 and Nd:YAG modalities
after treatment and at a 3-month follow-up; fractional CO2 demonstrated significant more decrease in GEAs with (P = 0.006, 0.00 (respectively. Moreover, fractional CO2 showed a significantly higher satisfaction level (P = 0.004) and a better clinical improvement percentage regarding inflammatory and noninflammatory
acne lesions (P = 0.007 and 0.000, respectively) after 3 months of follow-up. Apart from transient
erythema, there were insignificant adverse effects concerning both treated sides. Fractional CO2 and
Nd:YAG lasers are efficient physical modalities of
acne treatment. However, fractional
CO2 laser was more effective and more satisfying to the patients.