Platelet‐rich plasma injections in the treatment of male androgenetic alopecia: A randomized placebo‐controlled crossover study

Abstract

Background Platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) treatment for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) has been increasingly used, yet there remains a dearth of data on the effectiveness of this approach. Aim To compare the efficacy and safety of physically activated PRP injections vs placebo in the treatment of male AGA. Methods Twenty‐five healthy male patients with AGA were enrolled in a randomized, placebo‐controlled, crossover study with the treatments of PRP and placebo. Treatment efficacy was measured by calculating the hair density as the average of two independent blind measurements. Results In the group that received placebo first (Group 2), we detected a significant increase in hair density at the secondary endpoints after PRP treatment (P = .014). There was a greater proportion of patients with low‐grade alopecia in this group (53.3%) compared to Group 1 (30%). Conclusion This study provides data supporting the positive effects of PRP treatment on AGA in males, but further studies are needed to identify those factors that might affect PRP treatment performance, such as the stage of the disease.

Platelet‐rich plasma for androgenetic alopecia: Efficacy differences between men and women

“…studies, N = 88, P = .07, I 2 = 54%) 12,13,16,31,32 (Figure 3). Of the included studies, three did not use a PRP activator, 16,31,32 and two studies did (physical 12 or Ca 2+13 ).…”

“…Platelet-rich plasma significantly increased hair density in men (MD: 25.83, confidence interval (CI): 15.48-36.17, 12 studies, N = 250, P < .00001, I 2 = 65%; Figure 2). [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]24,31,32,41 Treatment frequency and assessment time of studies ranged from 1 to 8 PRP injections and 3 to 12 months after the first treatment, respectively (Table 1). There was insufficient data to permit analysis of PRP treatment number or frequency on hair density.…”

“…Five studies used the single spin method to prepare PRP, 12,13,16,31,32 five used the double spin method, 11,14,15,17,24 and two studies did not report the method. 16,41 Six studies reported the use of a PRP activator, [11][12][13][15][16][17] three studies reported using non-activated PRP, 16,31,32 and three did not report whether an activator was used or not 14,24,41 (Table 1). studies, N = 88, P = .07, I 2 = 54%) 12,13,16,31,32 (Figure 3).…”

“…16,41 Six studies reported the use of a PRP activator, [11][12][13][15][16][17] three studies reported using non-activated PRP, 16,31,32 and three did not report whether an activator was used or not 14,24,41 (Table 1). studies, N = 88, P = .07, I 2 = 54%) 12,13,16,31,32 (Figure 3). Of the included studies, three did not use a PRP activator, 16,31,32 and two studies did (physical 12 or Ca 2+13 ).…”

“…Platelet‐Rich Plasma (PRP) is a promising therapy for AGA with accumulating evidence suggesting it is effective, affordable, and has minimal safety issues 5‐9 . However, this evidence is largely based on populations consisting of only or mostly men 10‐17 . Whether PRP is effective for treating AGA in women is less clear, with some studies reporting a beneficial effect, 18‐25 while others report that PRP is not as effective or not effective at all for women 26‐28 .…”