LAUSR

BACKGROUND Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a devastating chronic inflammatory skin disease with frequent recurrence. Various systemic treatments and procedures have been applied to HS, yet the efficacy of fractional microneedling radiofrequency (FMR) has not been reported. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the clinical and histological efficacy of FMR in the treatment of HS lesions. METHODS An 8-week, prospective, split-body, non-blind study was conducted. Ten adult patients with mild to moderate HS received 3 sessions of FMR treatment biweekly. The severity of HS was assessed using the number and types of lesions, HS Physician Global Assessment (HS-PGA), and the modified Sartorius score (mSS). Skin biopsies were performed on participants to assess change in inflammation before and after FMR. RESULTS Severity of HS was significantly reduced in the FMR-treated sides, but not in the control sides. Inflammatory HS lesions were significantly reduced after 4 weeks, while HS-PGA and mSS were significantly decreased after 6 weeks. Immunohistochemistry staining showed decreased expression of inflammatory markers including neutrophil elastases, IL-8, IL-17, TNF-α, TGF-β1, and MMPs. CONCLUSIONS FMR may be a viable treatment option for mild to moderate HS.