Clinical and histological effects of fractional microneedling radiofrequency treatment on rosacea

Abstract

Introduction: Fractional microneedling radiofrequency (FMR) is an emerging treatment modality, but its effect on rosacea has not been studied.We sought to investigate the potential impact of FMR treatment on clinical improvement and histological changes in rosacea patients. Methods: A 12-week, prospective, randomized, split-face clinical trial was conducted. Two sessions of FMR were performed on one side of the face witha 4-week interval between treatment sessions, and the other side of the face remained untreated. Clinical evaluation and photometricmeasurement of erythema and histologic analysis of skin samples werecarried out. Results: Clinical evaluation and photometric measurement revealed reduction of redness on the treated side compared with the untreated side and baseline. The erythema index decreased 13.6% and the a* value decreased 6.8% at week 12 compared with baseline. Reduced expression of markers related to inflammation, innate immunity, and angiogenesis was observed in the immunohistochemical staining of tissue obtained after FMR treatment. Conclusions: FMR can result in clinical and histological improvement of rosacea, and it can be used as an alternative or in combination with other treatment methods.