Platelet-rich plasma may outperform minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia treatment
Key takeaways:
- After 12 weeks of treatment, hair pull tests were negative for 91.7% of the PRP group and 69.4% of the minoxidil group.
- After stratifying for other factors, however, this difference was not significant.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy may be more effective than minoxidil in treating androgenetic alopecia, according to a study.
“[Androgenetic alopecia (AGA)] is one of the most common causes of hair loss in general practice,” Rohan Shah, BA, of the department of dermatology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and colleagues wrote. “Limited treatment availability and efficacy have prompted the search for novel, improved therapeutics.”
Minoxidil, a widely popular hair loss medication that comes in 2% and 5% strengths, is one of only two FDA-approved medical therapies for AGA. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a treatment consisting of intradermal injections, is another therapy for hair loss that has gained interest over the past 2 decades, according to the study.
In this randomized controlled trial, Shah and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of PRP vs. 5% topical minoxidil for the treatment of AGA in 72 patients from the dermatology department at a single hospital in Pakistan.
Patients were treated with either PRP (n = 36) or minoxidil (n = 36) for 12 weeks. At the beginning of the trial, the average hair count per patient in the PRP group was 83.5 ± 39.63 hairs/cm2 and the average hair count in the minoxidil group was 88.94 ± 36.09 hairs/cm2.
Additionally, all patients were positive for hair pull tests with 8.5 and 7.33 hairs being pulled per test in the PRP and the minoxidil groups, respectively.
After 12 weeks of treatment, hair pull tests were negative for 91.7% of the PRP group and 69.4% of the minoxidil group, which the researchers called a significant difference (P = .017). The mean number of hairs pulled after 12 weeks included 1.5 in the PRP group and three in the minoxidil group.
The authors concluded that PRP therapy may be a valuable treatment option for patients with AGA that can be used alone or in conjunction with topical minoxidil therapy.
“Our study showed that PRP therapy demonstrates a higher efficacy compared to minoxidil for treating AGA,” the authors said. “These improved results may result in better patient compliance and overall satisfaction; however, further studies are needed.”