Abstract
BACKGROUND: Facial inflammation is a highly prevalent condition mediated by diverse etiologies, primarily manifested as facial redness, swelling, itching, pain, maculopapular rash, or even pustules. Conventional treatments such as topical or oral medications for anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory purposes have shown limitations, particularly in the slow resolution of symptoms. While standalone laser therapy or hydrolifting may provide relatively faster symptom relief, their efficacy remains insufficiently stable or durable. OBJECTIVE: This prospective, comparative, and randomized clinical study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of combining facial microneedling with intense pulse laser (IPL) and hydrolifting for facial inflammation. METHODS: From January 2022 to January 2024, 114 patients with facial inflammation were enrolled and randomly allocated into one experimental group and two control groups. The experimental group received triple therapy, while the control groups received either hydrolifting alone or IPL monotherapy. Therapeutic outcomes were evaluated by comparing improvements in inflammatory area reduction, aesthetic indicators, Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) scores, and incidence of adverse events post-treatment. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics showed no significant differences among the three groups before treatment. At 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months post-treatment, the experimental group demonstrated significantly better outcomes in inflammatory area reduction and GAIS scores compared to the control groups. Although aesthetic indicators improved in all groups, intergroup differences were not statistically significant. No significant differences in adverse event rates were observed among the groups. CONCLUSION: This prospective, controlled, and randomized clinical study demonstrates that microneedling-assisted IPL combined with hydrolifting yields superior and more sustained therapeutic efficacy in facial anti-inflammatory treatment.