18 Combination treatment with adipose stem cell exosomes (ASCE) and fractional co2 laser for acne scars: a 12-week prospective, double-blind, randomized, split-face study

Introduction: Fractional laser (FCL) resurfacing has widened therapeutic options and has become the current standard of care for acne scars. However, patients still need better improvement of scars and sustain side effects during post‐procedural wound healing. Therefore, an adjuvant application of adipose‐derived stem cell exosomes (ASCE) has been used with synergistic effects in augmenting treatment responses and reducing adverse effects through its potential to accelerate tissue regeneration and wound healing. Materials/ethods: Twenty‐five subjects with atrophic acne scars were enrolled. The entire face of each patient was treated with FCL. The treatment parameters were determined based on each patient’s condition. All patients were treated with either ASCE gel or control gel on each half of the face according to a random assignment after laser treatment. For the next two days after each treatment, patients were instructed to apply each solution to the designated half of the face twice a day. Results: 1. ASCE side had a significant reduction in ECCA score. At the final visit, the ECCA score was reduced by 32.5% from baseline on the side treated with ASCE, which was a significantly greater improvement than the control side. 2. Mean reductions in ECCA score were analyzed for each subtype of an atrophic scar. Both V‐ and U‐shaped scars had significant decreases in ECCA score from baseline on both sides, however with M‐ shaped scars ASCE‐treated side showed a significantly greater improvement. Conclusion: It was found that ASCE treatment shows more favorable responses, a shorter recovery time, and fewer side effects when utilized in combination with FCL for acne scarring. Therefore, co‐treatment with this novel material with resurfacing devices may provide synergistic effects on both efficacy and safety for atrophic scar treatments.