{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T03:11:42Z","timestamp":1785726702269,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,4]],"date-time":"2025-06-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748995200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Minister of Science under the name \u201cRegional Excellence Initiative\u201d","award":["RID\/SP\/0027\/2024\/01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RID\/SP\/0027\/2024\/01"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Acne scars are an unwanted reminder of past acne. They constitute a significant esthetic and psychosocial problem, negatively affecting the quality of life of patients. There are many methods used to treat acne scars. One of them is fractional CO2 laser treatment, which stimulates the skin to produce collagen. The main aim of this study was to verify, based on the available literature, the effectiveness of fractional CO2 laser treatment of acne scars and to determine the potential risk associated with the use of this therapeutic method. Methods: The literature review includes English-language articles selected using keywords and inclusion and exclusion criteria. In order to select appropriate sources, databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar were searched. Results: The systematic review included seven studies that assessed the effectiveness of fractional CO2 laser therapy for acne scars. Most patients experienced a 30% to 70% improvement in the appearance of their scars. The most commonly reported adverse events during treatment were transient erythema, edema, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which resolved within a few weeks. Conclusions: Fractional CO2 laser therapy is an effective and safe treatment for acne scars. However, despite the abundance of evidence, there is a need for further studies focusing on long-term monitoring of patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life15060915","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,4]],"date-time":"2025-06-04T11:14:12Z","timestamp":1749035652000},"page":"915","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["The Use of a Fractional Laser in Acne Scar Treatment\u2014A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9688-4706","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bart\u0142omiej","family":"Ptaszek","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Applied Sciences, University of Physical Culture in Krakow, 31-571 Krakow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marzena","family":"Czernecka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Motor Rehabilitation, University of Physical Culture in Krakow, 31-571 Krakow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5585-6672","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Szymon","family":"Podsiad\u0142o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Clinical Rehabilitation, University of Physical Culture in Krakow, 31-571 Krakow, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"407","article-title":"Blizny potr\u0105dzikowe\u2013mechanizm powstawania i diagnostyka","volume":"7","author":"Niemyska","year":"2018","journal-title":"Kosmetol. Estet."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdin.2021.11.006","article-title":"Evaluation of psychological well-being and social impact of atrophic acne scarring: A multinational, mixed-methods study","volume":"6","author":"Tan","year":"2022","journal-title":"JAAD Int."},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"39","article-title":"Wsp\u00f3\u0142czesny model post\u0119powania z problemem blizn w kosmetologii i medycynie estetycznej","volume":"10","year":"2021","journal-title":"Aesthetic Cosmetol. Med."},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"81","article-title":"Laseroterapia w redukcji blizn o r\u00f3\u017cnej etiologii\u2014Przegl\u0105d literatury","volume":"6","year":"2017","journal-title":"Kosmetol. Estet."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chilicka, K., Rusztowicz, M., Szygu\u0142a, R., and Nowicka, D. (2022). Methods for the Improvement of Acne Scars Used in Dermatology and Cosmetology: A Review. Clin. Med., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm11102744"},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Adamski, Z., and Kaszuba, A. (2008). Dermatologia dla Kosmetolog\u00f3w, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Medycznego."},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"645","article-title":"Zastosowanie laser\u00f3w w terapii wybranych problem\u00f3w sk\u00f3rnych","volume":"6","author":"Burdzy","year":"2017","journal-title":"Przegl\u0105d Metod. Med. Estet."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Stycze\u0144, P. (2017). Laser frakcyjny CO2. MedBeauty, 30\u201332."},{"key":"ref_9","first-page":"41","article-title":"Efficacy and safety of ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser for acne scars","volume":"22","author":"Ahmad","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Pak. Assoc. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"1189","article-title":"Comparison of Q-Switched 1064-nm Nd: YAG laser and fractional CO2 laser efficacies on improvement of atrophic facial acne scar","volume":"16","author":"Asilian","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Res. Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2047","DOI":"10.1007\/s10103-017-2322-7","article-title":"Fractional carbon dioxide laser for the treatment of facial atrophic acne scars: Prospective clinical trial with short and long-term evaluation","volume":"32","author":"Elcin","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lasers Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1016\/j.dsi.2012.09.009","article-title":"Efficacy and safety of a single treatment using a 10,600-nm carbon dioxide fractional laser for mild-to-moderate atrophic acne scars in Asian skin","volume":"31","author":"Hsiao","year":"2013","journal-title":"Dermatol. Sin."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"627","DOI":"10.1007\/s10103-012-1120-5","article-title":"A new modality for fractional CO2 laser resurfacing for acne scars in Asians","volume":"28","author":"Huang","year":"2013","journal-title":"Lasers Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1111\/dsu.12030","article-title":"Comparison of fractional erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet and carbon dioxide lasers in resurfacing of atrophic acne scars","volume":"39","author":"Manuskiatti","year":"2013","journal-title":"Dermatol. Surg."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"162","DOI":"10.3109\/14764172.2012.699679","article-title":"Treatment of acne scarring with fractional CO2 laser","volume":"87","author":"Qian","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Cosmet. Laser Ther."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"122","DOI":"10.1002\/lsm.20725","article-title":"Evaluation of a novel fractional resurfacing device for treatment of acne scarring","volume":"41","author":"Walgrave","year":"2009","journal-title":"Lasers Surg. Med."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"664","DOI":"10.18203\/issn.2455-4529.IntJResDermatol20194657","article-title":"Complications of fractional ablative carbon dioxide laser in various aesthetic procedures: A retrospective study","volume":"5","author":"Kaur","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Res. Dermatol."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.3109\/14764172.2013.854633","article-title":"Randomized clinical trial of CO2 LASER pinpoint irradiation technique versus chemical reconstruction of skin scars (CROSS) in treating ice pick acne scars","volume":"16","author":"Ahmed","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Cosmet. Laser Ther."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"162","DOI":"10.4103\/0378-6323.174378","article-title":"Efficacy of autologous platelet-rich plasma combined with fractional ablative carbon dioxide resurfacing laser in treatment of facial atrophic acne scars: A split-face randomized clinical trial","volume":"82","author":"Faghihi","year":"2016","journal-title":"Indian. J. Dermatol. Venereol. Leprol."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"136","DOI":"10.4103\/JCAS.JCAS_99_17","article-title":"Fractional CO2 Laser vs Fractional CO2 with Topical Platelet-rich Plasma in the Treatment of Acne Scars: A Split-face Comparison Trial","volume":"10","author":"Kar","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Cutan. Aesthetic Surg."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"721","DOI":"10.3349\/ymj.2023.0234","article-title":"Combination of Fractional Microneedling Radiofrequency and Ablative Fractional Laser versus Ablative Fractional Laser Alone for Acne and Acne Scars","volume":"64","author":"Kim","year":"2023","journal-title":"Yonsei Med. J."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.1080\/14764170801930080","article-title":"Clinical trial of a pinpoint irradiation technique with the CO2 laser for the treatment of atrophic acne scars","volume":"10","author":"Kim","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Cosmet. Laser Ther."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.3109\/14764172.2013.793584","article-title":"Randomized clinical trial of CO2 laser pinpoint irradiation technique with\/without needling for ice pick acne scars","volume":"15","author":"Mohammed","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Cosmet. Laser Ther."}],"container-title":["Life"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2075-1729\/15\/6\/915\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T17:46:44Z","timestamp":1760032004000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2075-1729\/15\/6\/915"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,4]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6]]}},"alternative-id":["life15060915"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/life15060915","relation":{},"ISSN":["2075-1729"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2075-1729","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,4]]}}}