Systematic review of mesotherapy: a novel avenue for the treatment of hair loss

Abstract

Mesotherapy is a technique by which lower doses of therapeutic agents and bioactive substances are administered by intradermal injections to the skin. Through intradermal injections, mesotherapy can increase the residence time of therapeutic agents in the affected area, thus allowing for the use of lower doses and longer intervals between sessions which may in turn improve the treatment outcome and patient compliance. This systematic review aims to summarize the current literature that evaluates the efficacy of this technique for the treatment of hair loss and provides an overview of the results observed. Of the 416 records identified, 27 articles met the inclusion criteria. To date, mesotherapy using 6 classes of agents and their combinations have been studied; this includes dutasteride, minoxidil, growth factors or autologous suspension, botulinum toxin A, stem cells, and mesh solutions/multivitamins. While several studies report statistically significant improvements in hair growth after treatment, there is currently a lack of standardized regimens. The emergence of adverse effects after mesotherapy has been reported. Further large-scale and controlled clinical trials are warranted to evaluate the utility of mesotherapy for hair loss disorders.

Keywords:

• Mesotherapy
• local intradermal therapy
• pattern hair loss
• alopecia
• physical therapy

Author contributions

Conceptualization, A.K.G.; Data Curation, S.P.R.; Formal Analysis, S.P.R.; Investigation, S.P.R.; Methodology, S.P.R. and T.W.; Project Administration, A.K.G.; Supervision, A.K.G.; Validation, A.K.G., T.W., M.T., M.S. and B.M.P.; Visualization, S.P.R.; Writing – Original Draft Preparation, S.P.R.; Writing – Review and Editing, A.K.G., T.W., M.T., M.S. and B.M.P.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability Statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.