Quality of life and subjective and clinical assessment of the efficacy of a single injection of PDLLA polylactic acid for atrophic post-acne scars: a prospective study
Maksimova A.S., Klemenova I.A., Shlivko I.L., Gorskaya A.A.
Objective: Evaluation of the clinical efficacy and impact on quality of life of a single injection of polylactic acid (PLA) PDLLA in patients with atrophic scars.
Materials and methods: The study included 44 patients (43 with post-acne scars and 1 with iatrogenic atrophic scars) who underwent a single facial injection procedure with PLA PDLLA. Assessments were conducted at three visits: baseline (V1), 1 month (V2), and 3 months (V3) post-treatment, using questionnaires (FASQoL, DLQI, SCARS, subjective scar severity scale), clinical scar scales (Goodman & Baron, Dreno, J. Tan, adapted IGA, Manchester Scale), and the Global Aesthetic Scale (GAS). Standardized photography was performed using the FotoFinder ATBM system.
Results: Three months after the procedure, significant improvements in quality of life and subjective scar assessment were observed: reductions of 36.7% in FASQoL, 35.1% in subjective scar severity, 20.4% in SCARS, and 25.9% in DLQI compared to baseline. According to the GAS scale, 77.3% of patients were satisfied with the result (score of 2–3), while 20.5% noted slight improvement (score of 1); no changes were observed in 2.3% of patients.
Conclusion: A single injection of PLA PDLLA demonstrates clinically and subjectively significant improvement in skin condition and quality of life for patients with post-acne scars and iatrogenic atrophic facial scars.
For citations: Maksimova A.S., Klemenova I.A., Shlivko I.L., Gorskaya A.A. Quality of life and subjective and clinical assessment of the efficacy of a single injection of PDLLA polylactic acid for atrophic post-acne scars: a prospective study. Pharmateca. 2026;33(6):40-45. (In Russ.). DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/pharmateca.2026.6.40-45
Authors’ contribution: Study concept and design – A.S. Maksimova. Data collection and processing – A.S. Maksimova. Manuscript writing – A.S. Maksimova, A.A. Gorskaya. Editing – I.A. Klemenova, I.L. Shlivko.
Conflicts of interest: The authors confirm that they have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding: The study was conducted without any sponsorship.
Patient Consent for Publication: All patients provided informed consent for the publication of their data.
Authors’ Data Sharing Statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available upon request from the corresponding author after approval from the principal investigator.
Keywords
polylactic acid
atrophic scars
post-acne
quality of life
About the Authors
Alena S. Maksimova, Teaching Assistant, Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; maximova-a.s@yandex.ru, ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8886-6359, eLibrary SPIN: 3769-2483 (corresponding author)Irina A. Klemenova, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; iklemenova@mail.ru, ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1042-8425, eLibrary SPIN: 8119-2480
Irena L. Shlivko, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Head of the Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; irshlivko@gmail.com, ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7253-7091; eLibrary SPIN: 8301-4815
Antonina A. Gorskaya, Head of Aesthetic Medicine Clinic, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; aa.gorskaya@gmail.com, ORCID iD:
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0314-7035
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