Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of androgenetic (male-patterned) alopecia: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been proposed as an effective treatment for different diseases. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of PRP in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Material and methods: In this study, 19 men with AGA were recruited among whom 17 men completed the trial. At the beginning, 2 square-shaped areas of 2.5 × 2.5 centimeters, at least 3 cm apart from each other were selected on the scalp of each patient as case and control sites. Then, 1.5 ml of PRP was injected in the case site, while in the control site the same amount of normal saline was injected. These were injected in 2 sessions, 1 month apart. The terminal and vellus hairs were counted in each square at the beginning of the study, and then 1, 3, and 6 months after the first injection. Results: In the case squares, the mean number of terminal and vellus hairs was 87 and 43 at the beginning and 85 and 42, respectively, at the end of six months. Conclusions: Our study showed that the PRP was not effective in treating AGA of grade 4–6.

KEYWORDS:

• Alopecia
• androgenetic
• male pattern
• platelet-rich plasma
• PRP

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Nader Pazyar, Dr. Nooshin Bagherani and Mr. Mokhtar Mapar for their invaluable helps.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences to Dr. Mohammad Ali Mapar.