A small scale study to evaluate the efficacy of microneedling in the presence or absence of platelet‐rich plasma in the treatment of post‐clipping alopecia in dogs

Abstract

Background -Post-clipping alopecia often has a clinically poor response to therapy and prolonged alopecia is a source of anxiety for some owners. In humans and dogs, superficial microtrauma via a microneedling (MN) device induces mechanical stimulation of the hair follicle with resultant hair regrowth. Human studies suggest that concurrent application of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with MN induces more rapid regrowth of better-quality hair than microneedling alone.Hypothesis -Microneedling with PRP will induce more rapid regrowth of better quality hair.Animals -Four unrelated client-owned dogs diagnosed with post-clipping alopecia.Methods and Materials -This was a prospective study. The affected site was divided in half, with the first half treated with MN alone and the second half treated with MN + PRP. Hair regrowth was assessed by clinician and owner using a hair growth assessment scale (HGAS) at one, three, six and 12 months.Results -At three months, all dogs had improved and three exhibited greater hair regrowth on the MN + PRP side. A similar response was noted bilaterally in three dogs, which had improved by 76-100% at six months and remained unchanged at 12 months. One dog improved by < 26% at six months, but had> 50% re-growth by 12 months. The small sample size precluded statistical analysis.Conclusions and clinical importance -In dogs with post-clipping alopecia, MN + PRP appeared to induce more rapid hair regrowth than MN; however, overall results were visibly equivalent by six months regardless of method. Both MN and MN + PRP proved successful for treating post-clipping alopecia.

Optimal microneedle length for hair regrowth in hair cycle arrest (alopecia X) in six dogs

“…One report revealed that certain body sites, such as the hind legs, rump and tail, were less responsive to MN in dogs, while another report did not. 4,13 In this study, we assumed that certain body sites were less responsive to MN because the device could not be firmly applied to the uneven surface. Therefore, the dorsum was selected for our study.…”

“…Yeong-Hun Kang 1 | Min-Sun Kim 1 | Soh-Yoon Kang and permanent hair regrowth with negligible adverse effects. 4,13 In mice, 0.25 and 0.5 mm needles produced significantly more hair growth than other needle lengths. 19 In dogs, the reported lengths of needles were 1.5 and 2.5 mm.…”

“…19 In dogs, the reported lengths of needles were 1.5 and 2.5 mm. 4,13 The needle length should be optimised to minimise pain, reduce the use of analgesic drugs and increase hair regrowth. This study was designed to identify the ideal needle length for MN for treating HCA in dogs.…”

“…None of the aforementioned therapies guarantee success in all dogs. Low-level laser therapy 12 and microneedling 4,13 have shown promising results. More research is needed to determine standard protocols and assess efficacy and safety.…”

Use of Autologous Leucocyte- and Platelet-Rich Plasma (L-PRP) in the Treatment of Aural Hematoma in Dogs

“…In recent years, multiple effects of PRP have been documented in vivo and in vitro in human and veterinary medicine. In dogs, clinical studies are focused on orthopedics uses [35][36][37][38][39] and in dermatology for the treatment of wounds [40] or skin ulcers with extensive tissue loss [41][42][43], chronic ulcers [44], surgically induced wounds [45][46][47][48], alopecia [49] and for antimicrobial effects in infected skin wounds [50]. The results of these studies have been variable which may reflect the lack of standardization of the methods for obtaining the PRP.…”