Will I have permanent scarring from an at home plasma pen? (Photo)

Question

I recently had PRP with microneedling to diminish my under eye troughs, nasolabial folds, and marionette lines. A few days following the procedure, I used my at-home plasma pen on the areas. The following day, the treated areas were raised lumps and have not gone down after 5 days. Should I be concerned with permanent hypertrophic scarring?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

you likely did and will get permanent hyperpigmentation and/or scarring if you do not start red light therapy, stem cell topical therapy, faith essence serum and is clinical hydracool, and sun protection right now. 2-3 weeks from now you need to do an enlighten, Cosmelan, or aerify peel. see emeragecosmetics where we do free skincare consults daily and ship products overnight (link)

Burns need a combination of:
1) healing lasers and light such as aerolase or laser genesis and LED therapy with light stim
2) topical growth factors, stem cells, antioxidants
3) oxygen facials
4) platelet rich plasma and A cell topically
5) sun protection
6) vascular lasers for redness such as venus versa IPL, excel V KTP, and pulsed dye laser/VBeam
After 6-12 weeks you can treat for hyperpigmentation with cosmelan peels, hydroquinone, retinol or non ablative lasers like clear and brilliant or radiofrequency like venus viva.
 
Please see a laser, scarring and burn expert.

Kathleen Griffin, MD · Answer

For plasma pen treatment there should be no treatment in the area to be treated for 30 days prior. And certainly no treatment only days after microneedling. Plasma pen should be done by a certified provider in a medical office. This treatment should not be done at home by an untrained individual as results can be disfiguring. Plasma pen is a very precise device with the ability to cause damage when used improperly. There are many things to consider when determining who is a candidate for this treatment as there are numerous contraindications. Darker skin types (Fitzpatrick 4-6) should use a pre treatment for 4 weeks prior to plasma pen to reduce the risk of pigment changes. In many cases theses skin types are excluded from plasma pen treatment as the risk is too high. I would recommend you see a board certified dermatologist to determine the best course of action to correct your skin without further damage. Good luck to you.

Imaan Joshi, BSc, MBBS, FRACGP · Answer

Thank you for your question. 
Based on what you have shown pictures of here, I am somewhat concerned that you have induced scarring that will affect pigment in the treated areas- how much, and whether it is temporary and fades or not, remains to be seen as it is dependent on each individual. 
As a rule, I do not recommend the use of the plasma pen in persons with skin of colour due to the risk of hyperpigmentation and other complications that do not affect Caucasian/ fairer skin as much and certainly not for at-home use as the risks often outweigh the benefits of an in clinic treatment by an appropriately registered medical doctor. 
While you are waiting to see if this settles on its own, I would strongly suggest you use daily spf to minimise the risk of this becoming worse. Good luck.

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