Platelet-Rich Plasma in Female Androgenic Alopecia: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

May 2021 in “ Frontiers in Pharmacology ”

Shuying Zhou, Fei Qi, Yue Gong, Chen-Xi Zhang, Siqi Zhao, Xutong Yang, Yanling He

platelet-rich plasma female androgenic alopecia hair density placebo adverse effects injection sites randomized controlled trials PRP FPHL

Studysummary This review highlights platelet-rich plasma as a promising nonsurgical treatment for female pattern hair loss, but it reports no new clinical results. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in treating female androgenic alopecia (FPHL) and included 42 studies with 1,569 cases, of which 776 were female participants. PRP showed positive responses and improvements in hair density compared to baseline and placebo, with minimal adverse effects such as mild pain and bruising at injection sites. The study concluded that PRP is a promising treatment for FPHL, though further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm its efficacy due to considerable heterogeneity and publication bias.

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