Evaluation of Efficacy of Platelet Rich Plasma for Hair Rejuvenation

Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common progressive hair disorder with important cosmetic and psychosocial consequences. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as an autologous regenerative treatment intended to improve follicular activity and reduce hair shedding. The present prospective short study evaluated clinical improvement following a standardized course of scalp PRP injections in patients with AGA. Methods: Twenty adults with AGA, aged 18–50 years and classified from grade I to V on the Modified Norwood-Hamilton scale, were enrolled. Patients underwent four PRP treatment sessions over three months. Approximately 16 mL of venous blood was collected, processed using sequential soft- and hard-spin centrifugation, activated with calcium chloride, and injected intradermally into affected scalp areas using a nappage technique. Outcomes included the hair pull test, patient-rated improvement on a 7-point scale, blinded photographic assessment by an independent senior dermatologist, and pain assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Follow-up was performed at 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks Results: The mean age was 37.65 years; 12 participants (60%) were male and 8 (40%) were female. Before treatment, 16 patients (80%) had a positive hair pull test and 4 (20%) had a negative test. At 12 weeks, all 20 patients (100%) had a negative hair pull test. Patient assessment before treatment showed severe hair fall in 4 (20%), moderate hair fall in 14 (70%) and mild hair fall in 2 (10%). At 12 weeks, 16 patients (80%) reported mild improvement and 4 (20%) reported no change. Blinded evaluator assessment showed no change in all 20 patients (100%) at 3 weeks, whereas at 12 weeks, 16 (80%) were rated as mildly improved and 4 (20%) as unchanged. VAS observations supplied in the study were confined to scores 0–2, with the distribution changing from 25%, 25% and 50% at 3 weeks to 25%, 65% and 10% at 12 weeks for scores 0, 1 and 2, respectively. Conclusion: In this small prospective cohort, four sessions of PRP were associated with disappearance of a positive hair pull test and modest patient- and evaluator-perceived improvement by 12 weeks. Because the study had no control group, a small sample and limited objective hair-density measurements, the findings should be interpreted as preliminary.