Face-Off: microneedling vs dermabrasion for better scar healing
NCT ID NCT06171386
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether microneedling or dermabrasion works better for improving the look of early surgical scars on the face. Thirty adults with a vertical scar on the upper forehead will receive one of the two treatments. Researchers will measure scar appearance using standard scales and ask patients about pain and satisfaction.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- microneedling or dermabrasion procedure
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show which scar treatment works better for early facial scars, helping patients choose the best option.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early study with only 30 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The treatments are for appearance only and won't remove scars completely.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Volunteer adult patients will be identified by visiting the Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery Clinic at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. * Patients will be 18 years old+ and have a vertical surgical scar in the superior 1/3 of the face (trichion to glabella). * Patients will enroll in the clinic research registry and indicate an interest in being involved in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who rate Types 4-6 on the Fitzpatrick scale will be excluded due to risk of poor outcome from dermabrasion. * There are no other planned exclusion criteria. Patients will not be excluded on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, or age, provided that they meet the described inclusion criteria.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Wake Forest University Health Sciences
RECRUITINGWinston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
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