Evaluation of platelet‐rich plasma vs intralesional steroid in treatment of alopecia areata

Abstract

Summary Background Alopecia areata (AA) is nonscarring patchy area of hair loss. Platelets rich plasma (PRP) promotes development of new hair follicles. Dermoscopy is a diagnostic tool that helps in evaluation of skin microstructures which are not visible to naked eye. Aim To evaluate safety and efficacy of (PRP) vs intralesional corticosteroid (ILCs) in treatment of AA. Patients and methods This study was conducted on 80 patients of both sexes who had AA. Patients were classified into Group I treated by ILCs and group II treated by (PRP). Results were assessed by dermoscopic evaluation and by hair re‐growth score (RGS) at (baseline), 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks. Patients were followed up for 6 months. Results There was greater hair re‐growth after treatment in both groups. In group I, (26) patients (65%) showed improvement >70% compared to 29 patients (72.5%) in group II. There was significant re‐growth of pigmented hair and decrease in dystrophic hair (P < 0.001) by dermoscopic evaluation in both groups. The difference between both groups was insignificant (P = 0.57). At follow‐up, two (5%) patients in group II had relapse compared to 10 (25%) patients in group I. Conclusion Platelets rich plasma is safe and promising therapeutic option in AA.

Trichoscopy as an evaluation method for alopecia areata treatment: A comparative study

“…The results of our study come in concordance with previous studies 32,33 which evaluated the efficacy and safety of ILCs versus PRP in the treatment of alopecia areata. Adding more, we introduced a new simplified detailed scoring system to diagnose AA, and to identify early clinically undetectable response to treatment.…”

A randomized, placebo and active controlled, split scalp study to evaluate the efficacy of platelet‐rich plasma in patchy alopecia areata of the scalp

“…Another RCT conducted by el Taieb et al 13 among Egyptian population, PRP group showed significant reduction in dystrophic hair compared to 5% minoxidil and placebo treated group. In a comparative study conducted by Albalat et al 14 among 80 patients, there was significant growth of terminal hair and decrease in vellus hair in both PRP and steroid treated group as assessed by dermoscopy, the statistical difference between the two groups being insignificant. Agrawal et al 15 conducted a randomized placebo, active controlled study among 30 Indian patients and concluded that steroid gives better results than PRP as measured by SALT score, dermoscopy, and patient satisfaction score.…”

Platelet-Rich Plasma and its Use for Cicatricial and Non-Cicatricial Alopecias: A Narrative Review

“…Albalat et al [41] performed a study to compare the safety and efficacy of PRP versus the injection of intralesional corticosteroids (ILCs) in 80 selected patients with AA. The patients were classified randomly into two groups: group I (n = 40) received from three to five sessions of ILCs, one session every 2 weeks; and group II (n = 40) received one session of PRP every 2 weeks, for three to five sessions.…”

“…AA is a common non-scarring type of alopecia, which has different clinical presentations, classified according to the hair loss pattern or extent [ 37 ]. In some cases, AA is associated with other autoimmune diseases such as vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and pernicious anemia [ 39 – 41 ].…”