Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Sep 21;5(1):46-51.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2018.08.004. eCollection 2019 Feb.

Platelet-rich plasma for androgenetic alopecia: A review of the literature and proposed treatment protocol

J Stevens  1 , S Khetarpal  2
Affiliations
Review

Platelet-rich plasma for androgenetic alopecia: A review of the literature and proposed treatment protocol

J Stevens et al. Int J Womens Dermatol. .

Abstract

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common hair loss disorder caused by genetic and hormonal factors that are characterized by androgen-related progressive thinning of scalp hair in a defined pattern. By the age of 60 years, 45% of men and 35% of women develop AGA. Currently, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for AGA include oral finasteride and topical minoxidil. Due to the limited number of effective therapies for AGA, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become an effective alternative treatment. PRP is an autologous concentration of platelets in plasma with numerous growth factors that contribute to hair regeneration. The growth factors contained within the alpha granules of platelets act on stem cells in the bulge area of the hair follicles and stimulate the development of new follicles along with neovascularization. PRP has become a promising treatment modality for AGA. Although there have been several studies previously reported, a standard practice for PRP preparation and administration as well as a method to evaluate results have not been established. This literature review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of PRP for AGA and discuss the various treatment protocols that have been proposed.

Keywords: alopecia; androgenetic; plasma; platelet; rich.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A 46-year-old woman with androgenetic alopecia, before and 3 months after 3 platelet-rich plasma treatment sessions.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A 31-year-old woman with androgenetic alopecia, before and 4 months after five platelet-rich plasma treatment sessions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alves R., Grimalt R. Randomized placebo-controlled, double-blind, half-head study to assess the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma on the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. Dermatol Surg. 2016;42(4):491–497. - PubMed
    1. Alves R., Grimalt R. A review of platelet-rich plasma: History, biology, mechanism of action, and classification. Skin Appendage Disord. 2018;4(1):18–24. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Asadi M., Alamdari D.H., Rahimi H.R., Aliakbarian M., Jangjoo A., Abdollahi A. Treatment of life-threatening wounds with a combination of allogenic platelet-rich plasma, fibrin glue and collagen matrix, and a literature review. Exp Ther Med. 2014;8(2):423–429. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ayatollahi A., Hosseini H., Shahdi M., Ahmad Nasrollahi S., Nassiri Kashani M., Yadangi S. Platelet-rich plasma by single spin process in male pattern androgenetic alopecia: Is it an effective treatment? Indian Dermatol Online J. 2017;8(6):460–464. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cavallo C., Roffi A., Grigolo B., Mariani E., Pratelli L., Merli G. Platelet-rich plasma: The choice of activation method affects the release of bioactive molecules. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:6591717. - PMC - PubMed