English

Abstract

BACKGROUND Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a genetically determined disorder characterized by the gradual conversion of terminal hairs into indeterminate, and finally into vellus hairs. It is the most common cause of hair loss affecting more men and occasionally women. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is one of the newer treatment options and has shown promising results. We wanted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PRP in the treatment of AGA. METHODS A prospective cohort study was done on thirty patients of AGA. The stage of alopecia was evaluated according to the Hamilton-Norwood scale (males) and the Ludwig scale (females). All patients were treated with six intradermal PRP sittings with an interval of 4 weeks between each sitting and were evaluated at the end of 6 months using global photography, hair pull test, patient’s satisfaction rating and hair density. RESULTS Out of 30 patients, majority were in the age group of 21 - 25 years (40 %). 23 were males and 7 were females. Among male patients, maximum number of patients (39.13 %) were having grade 4 AGA followed by grade 3 (30.43 %). Among females, maximum number of patients (57.14 %) were having grade 1 AGA. At baseline, 66.67 % patients showed positive hair pull test whereas all patients showed negative hair pull test at the end of study. Baseline mean hair density was 78.96 ± 9.66 hairs / cm2 and at the end of study it was 105. 46 ± 9.21 hairs / cm2 . On an analogue scale ranging from 0 to 10, the overall mean change in the clinical rating of patient satisfaction was 6.83, which denoted satisfactory for most patients. CONCLUSIONS All patients treated with PRP showed increase in hair density in dermoscopic photomicrographs at the end of the study. PRP is a simple, effective and safe treatment for AGA. KEYWORDS Androgenetic Alopecia, Platelet-Rich Plasma