Microneedling for Acne Scar Correction: A Summary of theResearch

What Is Microneedling for Acne Scars?

Acne scars form when severe acne damages the deeper layers of skin, and the

body's repair process produces either too much or too little collagen. This creates

raised bumps or sunken pits that remain long after the acne has cleared.

Microneedling creates tiny, controlled punctures in the scarred skin, triggering your

body to produce new, organized collagen that fills in and smooths out the scars.

Acne scars come in several types:

- Ice-pick scars — narrow, deep holes

- Boxcar scars — broad, rectangular depressions with sharp edges

- Rolling scars — broad depressions with sloping edges that create a wavy

appearance

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Study 1. Systematic Review: Microneedling for Acne Scars — All 33 Studies

Showed Improvement (Mujahid et al., 2020)

What they did: Systematically analyzed 33 published studies on microneedling for

acne scarring.

What they found:

- All 33 studies (100%) showed improvement of acne scar appearance after

microneedling

- Microneedling was effective as a standalone treatment

- Results were consistent across different microneedling devices and protocols

Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — Universal improvement across every study analyzed.

Strength of evidence: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong — A comprehensive systematic review with

consistent positive findings.

Reference: Mujahid N, et al. Microneedling as a Treatment for Acne Scarring: A

Systematic Review. Dermatologic Surgery, 2020;46(1):86–92. Available at:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31356435

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Study 2. Systematic Review of RCTs: Microneedling for Atrophic Acne Scars

— 9 Trials (Sitohang et al., 2021)

What they did: Systematically reviewed 9 randomized controlled trials on

microneedling for sunken (atrophic) acne scars.

What they found:

- All 9 RCTs demonstrated that microneedling was effective for treating atrophic

acne scars

- Microneedling worked well both as a standalone treatment and in combination with

other therapies

- No serious adverse effects were reported in any study

Recommended treatment: Most studies used 4–6 sessions at 2–4 week

intervals.

Impact on skin: ✅ Positive — Consistent effectiveness confirmed across all

randomized trials.