Ablative fractional CO laser vs lyophilized growth factor intralesional injection vs combination of both modalities for striae distensae treatment.

Background: Different studies had evaluated the efficacy of fractional CO laser and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in treating striae distensae (SD). Lyophilized growth factors (LGF) represent another form of delivering growth factors similar to PRP with a more standardized method. To the best of our knowledge, no previous trials have been reported using LGF in SD.

Aims: We aimed to compare the efficacy of ablative fractional CO laser vs intralesional injection of LGF vs combination of both modalities for SD treatment.

Methods: This study included 20 female patients with SD. All patients received three modalities of treatment in separate three areas: area A: received fractional CO laser, area B: received combination of fractional CO laser and intradermal injection of LGF, and area C: received intradermal injection of LGF. Each area received three sessions with 6-week intervals. The outcome was evaluated clinically and histopathologically before treatment and six weeks after the last session.

Results: There was a statistically significant clinical and histopathological improvement of SD both in areas A and B after treatment. Area C exhibited nonsignificant clinical and histopathological improvement. Area B showed the best improvement results as compared to areas A and C.

Conclusion: We reported that fractional CO laser combined with LGF injection was more effective than fractional CO laser alone in SD treatment based on clinical and histopathological assessment. We do not advocate LGF as a monotherapy for SD treatment; instead, LGF can be used as a combined therapy with fractional CO laser to improve its outcome.