The efficacy of stereoimage optical topometry to evaluate depressed acne scar treatment using cultured autologous fibroblast injection

BACKGROUND Despite the use of several evaluation methods, the lack of a true consensus scale hinders standardization of evaluation and treatment of depressed acne scars. OBJECTIVE To investigate the usefulness of a stereoimage optical topometer (SOT) system in evaluating the efficacy of autologous cultured fibroblast injection for depressed acne scars and to compare the results with those obtained using a visual grading system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-two patients with depressed acne scars were included. Three doses of cultured autologous fibroblast (2 × 10 ⁷ cell/mL) injections were given at 2-week intervals. Efficacy was evaluated at 2, 4, 12, and 16 weeks using a visual grading system and a SOT. RESULTS After autologous fibroblast injection, the lesions evaluated using the visual grading and SOT systems steadily improved. Visual grading and SOT variables obtained showed a similar tendency, although an interrater reliability test of the visual grading system correlated poorly. CONCLUSIONS A three-dimensional morphologic study can be a useful and reliable method of evaluating the severity of acne scars. We were able to more objectively and quantitatively evaluate acne scar severity through combined analysis using visual grading and SOT systems.