Effectiveness of CO(2) laser therapy in treating acne depressed scar: A protocol of systematic review

BACKGROUND: This study is to assess the effectiveness of CO(2) laser therapy (COLT) in treating patients with acne depressed scar (ADS). METHODS: Relevant randomized controlled trials will be checked by search the electronic databases of Cochrane Library, PUBEMD, EMBASE, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, VIP Database, CBM database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. All potential randomized controlled trials of COLT for patients with ADS will be identified by 2 independent authors by searching all sources from inception to present. Two authors will independently undertake literature selection, data collection and study quality assessment. Any divergences between 2 authors will be settled down by a third author through discussion. RevMan 5.3 software will be used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: This study will assess the effectiveness of COLT for patients with ADS. CONCLUSIONS: This study may provide helpful evidence to determine whether COLT is an effective intervention for patients with ADS. STUDY REGISTRATION: OSF (osf.io/m9ghv).