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Updated: Aug 31, 2025
Mechanical and Controlled PRP Injections in Patients Affected by Androgenetic Alopecia
Published on: January 27, 2018
Platelet-Rich Plasma in Alopecia Areata-A Steroid-Free Treatment Modality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of
Fanni Adél Meznerics1,2, Kata Illés2,3, Fanni Dembrovszky2,4
1Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary.
Background:
Alopecia areata (AA) is a chronic autoimmune condition that can lead to a serious deterioration in patients' quality of life. The first line of treatment in patchy AA is triamcinolone acetonide (TrA); however, the efficacy of the treatment varies greatly. Our aim was to investigate the therapeutic effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of AA.
Method:
We performed a systematic literature search in four databases. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) reporting on patients with AA treated with PRP were included, comparing PRP with TrA or a placebo. The primary outcome was the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score.
Results:
Our systematic search provided a total of 2747 articles. We identified four studies eligible for quantitative analysis. The pooled mean differences from the four studies did not exhibit a significant difference in the mean change in the SALT score when PRP and TrA groups were compared (MD =-2.04, CI: -4.72-0.65; I2 = 80.4%, p = 0.14).
Conclusions:
PRP is a promising topical, steroid-free treatment modality in the therapy of AA. No significant difference was found between PRP and TrA treatment; however, further high-quality RCTs are needed to further assess the efficacy of PRP treatment and strengthen the quality of evidence.
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