Local Injection versus Topical Microneedling of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has gained popularity for hair restoration due to its effectiveness and safety. PRP could be administered through direct local injections to the scalp or applied topically with the aid of microneedling therapy. This systematic review aims to elaborate on the effectiveness of PRP administered with syringe injection and topical PRP with microneedling combination for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA). A literature search was employed through PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus. The database was searched using terms and keywords: “platelet-rich plasma” and “microneedling” and “androgenetic alopecia.” Inclusion criteria are human study, patients with AGA, studies that compare PRP with syringe injection and the combination of PRP and microneedling. Exclusion criteria are animal study, review, case reports, or studies on other form of alopecia.

A total of 108 articles found in the database. Title and abstract screening yield 12 articles. After full-text reading three articles were included in the review. A combination of PRP and microneedling appears to yield more superior results than direct syringe injection. Topical PRP and microneedling potentially give better results on AGA cases. Further high-quality studies with uniform protocol are needed to confirm these findings.

Level of Evidence I.

Keywords

platelet-rich plasma - microneedling - androgenetic alopecia

Human or Animal Participants

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Informed Consent

For this type of study, informed consent is not required.

Patient Consent

Not applicable.

Ethical Approval

The study was performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Authors' Contributions

Conceptualization: J.A.B., R.R., K.K. Data curation: J.A.B., R.R., K.K., P.M.S., K.E. Formal analysis: all authors. Methodology: all authors. Project administration: J.A.B., P.M.S. Visualization: J.A.B., R.R., K.K. Writing - original draft: all authors. Writing - review & editing: J.A.B., R.R., K.K., P.M.S., K.A.P. Approval of final manuscript: all authors.

Publication History

Received: 11 December 2023

Accepted: 29 December 2024

Article published online:
11 March 2025

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