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Why Subcision is Needed When Treating Acne Scars with Lasers or Radiofrequency (RF)

Acne scars are routinely treated with laser and RF or RF microneedling. However, the optimal benefits are probably not achieved unless subcision is performed. Here’s why –

Acne scars frequently will have collagen scar fibers extending to the subcutaneous fat, fat pads, or fascial layers. These fibers cause tethering of the dermis, leading to the appearance of an atrophic scar.

FACT: RF and laser energy has a propensity to travel through collagen.

FACT: As energy/heat travels through collagen, it heats the collagen and leads to collagen contraction

Theory: When treating tethered scars, there is a possibility that the collagen contracts and actually makes the atrophic scars appear deeper

Theory: When energy/heat travels down the collagen fibers, some of it might be transferred to the surrounding fat and lead to fat atrophy.

Subcision is a process where the tethered collagen fibers are transected. By cutting these fibers, the energy can’t progress to the deeper layers of tissue and thus not cause possible fat atrophy or further deepening of the scars. I perform this on most patients undergoing laser or RF for acne scarring if I feel there is any degree of deeper scarring or tethering. There is also the benefit of subcision even without using energy based devices in improving acne scars.

The Genius is Truly a Huge Step Forward for RF Microneedling

The initial studies of radiofrequency microneedling (RFM) were performed by Hantash et al. in 2009. What Hantash was able to demonstrate was that RFM produced a fractionated radiofrequency thermal zone (RTZ) with coagulated tissue surrounded by normal tissue. Overtime, multiple growth factors and inflammatory components led to complete replacement of the RTZ with neocollagenesis and neoelastogenesis over the following 10 weeks.

Delivery of the RFM energy varies according to the device used. Unfortunately, there has been a paucity of solid research behind the majority of the devices. There is confusion in the marketplace for both consumers and providers as to what constitutes the best delivery system for outcomes, safety, and comfort. Lutronic decided to breakdown all the components of RFM energy delivery and optimize them in their development of the Genius.

One of the selling points of many of the devices has been that they are comfortable and have minimal downtime. What this actually means is that there is minimal energy delivered to the dermis. Discomfort is directly related to the amount of energy delivered. Lutronic’s research has shown that needle depths and energy settings don’t necessarily correlate to the what really occurs in the tissues.

Needle Depths

Skin intrinsically resists puncture by outside forces. If is especially difficult for 49 needles to penetrate the skin in a small area (1x1cm2). The natural tendency is for the skin to buckle with the needles “bouncing off the surface” and several of the RFM devices tested have been documented to exhibit this phenomenon. Furthermore, needles have a harder time penetrating deeper into tissue than superficially, so deeper depths are even more challenging to accurately place than more shallow treatments. Unfortunately, setting needle depth on the device doesn’t always correlate to actual tissue depth. Requirements for accurate depths include:

Sharp needles – but not too thin as to bend or dull during hundreds of pulses
Powerful motor – underpowered motors prevent accurate penetration
Quick motor – slower motors will lead to pushing the skin rather than penetrate it

Energy Delivery

One of the fallacies of RFM devices is that higher treatment levels correspond to higher energy delivery. Best results will be related to turning the energy settings “all the way up” is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. Too much energy in too short a period will lead to rapid rises in tissue impedance (resistance) and cut off energy flow immediately. Performance by the operator can affect the energy delivered if handpiece pressure is light or not flush with the skin as well.

Tissue Impedance

Impedance in the dermis is highly variable between patients and even within different areas of the face and body. Variables affecting impedance are: hydration, solar damage, collagen and hyaluronic acid content, and scarring. Using settings based on clinical findings and desired outcomes is not enough precision for optimal energy delivery.

Coated vs Uncoated Needles

Coated (insulated) needles allow the microneedles to penetrate the skin and deliver energy to the dermis while bypassing the heating of the epidermis. Some devices will use uncoated needles which will increase the risk of post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), particularly in darker skin types. To minimize this risk, uncoated needles use low energies and therefore sacrifice results. There will also be more downtime/wound care with uncoated needles because the skin surface will be more affected than with the coated needles.

The Genius Advantage

Proprietary needle design – sharp and coated for minimal resistance to insertion
Improved motor insertion – high torque and quick needle insertion
Improved protocols – changes to energy and pulse durations to avoid sharp rises in impedance based on Lutronic proprietary research
Impedance Feedback – the needles monitor tissue impedance every 2 msec and give feedback to the device to optimize energy delivery and adjust flow as resistance changes. This is the “brains” of the Genius.
Energy delivered feedback – each pulse is monitored and amount of energy delivered is noted. If energy is not exactly as desired/set, both a visual and audible signal is sent to operator. Adjustments in settings or technique can be made to improve energy output.
Total Treatment Energy – a running total of energy given is kept. This allows the provider to base treatments on energy delivered. Cumulative energies delivered from multiple treatments will become the standard of care to achieve clinical outcomes for a given diagnosis.

With the advancements made with the Genius, suddenly, all other RFM devices are now obsolete. Genius delivers a precise, safe, and efficacious treatment for laxity, wrinkles, neck lines, acne scarring, and hyperhidrosis in all skin types.

What’s The Difference Between Infini, Profound, and Older RF Devices?

The concept of applying radiofrequency energy into the skin has changed in the past few years. The “older” methods use a process called “bulk heating” to apply the energy to the surface of the skin which will diffuse to the deeper layers of the dermis. The deficiencies of this method are:

The heating is not precise, with the depths unknown.
The epidermis is at risk for too much heat, leading to potential for scarring or pigmentation issues.
Subdermal fat is at risk if the heating goes too deep.
The heating is bulk and not fractional, so safety is less.
The highest temperature achieved is about 45 degrees, enough to minimally stimulate collagen.

The progression of technology with RF heating of the skin has evolved to a process that is more precise. Using microneedles, RF energy is able to be placed at desired depths in the dermis. The deeper, fractional heating is much higher than if placed on the skin surface. It enables the temperatures to get to 65-70 degrees C, enough cause coagulation. Coagulation leads to maximal collagen stimulation and tissue contraction. In regards to the microneedles, there are 2 types of needles used: Insulated and Noninsulated. The noninsulated needles deliver energy only at the exposed tips, completely bypassing the more sensitive epidermis. On the other hand, noninsulated needles allow the energy to transmit along the entire length of the needle, creating a wound that includes the epidermis. When the epidermis is heated to point of coagulation, there is wound care and potential for pigmentation and scarring. The only way these uncoated needles get around potential safety problems is by delivering less energy. The advantages of microneedling insulated delivery of RF are:

More precise level of RF energy delivery.
Fractional heating of dermis, which is safer than bulk heating.
Bypassing the epidermis so darker skin types are more safely treated.
Higher energies can be placed leading to coagulation and better collagen stimulation.
Insulation leads to better epidermal protection, less downtime, and potentially higher energies.

The main devices that deliver RF through microneedles with insulated needles are Infini and Profound. There are actually significant differences that might not be apparent to even the most informed providers.

Infini uses 49 needles while Profound uses 10 needles.
Infini can treat at 0.25 mm incremental depths between 0.1 – 3.5 mm while Profound has just 2 possible depths.
Infini’s pulse durations are up to 500 milleseconds while Profound’s pulses are 3-5 seconds.
Infini uses multiple passes to create thousands of coagulation zones whereas Profound uses only one pass.

What does this all mean? It means that the coagulation wounds placed with the Profound are less in number but much larger in size. The downside to larger wounds is that there is longer healing times because the unaffected tissue which is needed to assist in healing is further from the center of coagulation. With smaller coagulation zones as in the Infini, the wound healing is shorter in duration. In addition, the healing in the desired fashion (without scarring) is easier to control with multiple smaller wounds than it is for fewer, larger wounds. The concept of fractional ablation being safer and with less downtime (popularized by the Fraxel laser) loses it advantage as the wounds get larger.

It boils down to: The Infini creates smaller and many more coagulation zones than the Profound which creates larger and fewer zones. Safety and recovery are improved with the more plentiful, smaller coagulation zones of the Infini.

Why Subcision is Needed When Treating Acne Scars with Lasers or Radiofrequency (RF)

The Genius is Truly a Huge Step Forward for RF Microneedling

What’s The Difference Between Infini, Profound, and Older RF Devices?

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