Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.

Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common hair disorder that affects both men and women all over the world. Although it is far from being a life-threatening disease, the psychosocial impact of AGA can provoke stress and a significant decrease in life quality. The objective of this retrospective study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of autologous plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) for the treatment of AGA. Methods: One hundred patients were included in this study. They followed two intradermal cycles of PRGF every 4 weeks. Macrophotographs and trichograms were performed at baseline and at 4 months after the first treatment in order to evaluate the overall improvement and determine the anagen/telogen hair ratio, respectively. Results: Patients showed an overall increase in hair density. Trichogram analysis showed that anagen hair follicles increased significantly at 6.2 percentage points ( p < 0.05) comparing to baseline levels, while a decrease of 5.1 points ( p < 0.05) was observed among telogen ones. No adverse effect was reported by any patient. Conclusions: Although more randomized clinical studies are needed, our data suggest that PRGF has a positive therapeutic effect on androgenetic alopecia showing no adverse effects related to the treatment protocol. Level of Evidence: Level III, therapeutic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]