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Efficacy of Platelet-rich Plasma for Treating Androgenic Alopecia of Varying Grades

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Abstract

Background and Objectives

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has received growing attention as a valuable therapeutic tool in androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, knowledge regarding specific effectiveness and satisfaction of PRP for different grades of AGA in male pattern hair loss (MPHL) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is missing. This study aims to ascertain and compare the efficacy and safety of PRP treatment for different grades of AGA in males and females over 6 months.

Methods

In this study, 51 MPHL patients with Norwood-Hamilton stage II-V and 42 FPHL patients with Ludwig stage I to III were enrolled for 6 monthly sessions of PRP injections. A longitudinal analysis was used to compare the hair density, thickness, and hair pull test over 6 months for MPHL and FPHL through generalized estimating equation (GEE) models. Phototrichograms of scalp inflammation and oil secretion, global photographs and overall patient satisfaction were also assessed.

Results

Consequently, improvement of hair density, hair thickness, hair pull test, the level of scalp inflammation and oil secretion were observed with statistical significance in all stages for both MPHL and FPHL at 6 months. Noteworthy, lower level of alopecia (Grade II, III in MPHL and Grade I in FPHL) had better response to PRP, and also had a better tendency of increment of hair growth than that of high-grade patients with prolonged treatment.

Conclusions

PRP injections, as an efficacious and reliable therapy, can be recommended for Grade II and Grade III in MPHL and Grade I in FPHL.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Qian Qu and Panli Shi contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, 1838 North Guangzhou AV, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong Province, China

    Qian Qu, Panli Shi, Yanhua Yi, Zhexiang Fan, Xiaomin Liu, Decong Zhu, Jian Chen, Ke Ye, Yong Miao & Zhiqi Hu

Authors
  1. Qian Qu
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  2. Panli Shi
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  3. Yanhua Yi
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  5. Xiaomin Liu
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yong Miao or Zhiqi Hu.

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Funding

This study was funded by the followings: Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 81471900, no. 81772104, no. 81701929), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant no. 2015A030311001, no. 2017A030310120), Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (Grant no. 201508020262).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical approval

All contents in this study were adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol and informed consent documentation were reviewed and approved by Southern Medical University Ethical Committee (Guangzhou, China).

Informed consent

Informed consents were obtained from all participants included in the trial.

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Qu, Q., Shi, P., Yi, Y. et al. Efficacy of Platelet-rich Plasma for Treating Androgenic Alopecia of Varying Grades. Clin Drug Investig 39, 865–872 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40261-019-00806-4

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