BC01 (P99): A split-scalp study to compare the effects of platelet-rich plasma prepared and activated by two different methods in androgenetic alopecia

Anil Budania and Saptarshi Mandal

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous preparation derived from whole blood with concentrated platelets in a small fraction of plasma. PRP has recently shown efficacy in managing androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, there is a lack of good-quality studies regarding standard techniques of PRP preparation and its efficacy in AGA. Conventionally, PRP is prepared with a double-spin method and activated by calcium. We found a novel method of PRP preparation by single spin and low temperature activation and hypothesize that it may prove as effective as the conventional PRP. This prospective double-blind split-scalp comparative study aimed to compare conventional and novel methods of PRP in AGA. Twenty-two male patients [mean (SD) modified Norwood–Hamilton grade 3·26 (0·65)] were recruited after obtaining informed consent. Conventional PRP was prepared by double-spin centrifugation of 16 mL venous blood in sterile 3·2% sodium citrate vials at 160 g and 400 g for 10 min. The preparation was injected on one-half of scalp after activating it with calcium. Novel PRP was prepared by single-spin centrifugation at 100 g for 10 min. The lower two-thirds of supernatant PRP were collected and activated by chilling and injected on the other half of the scalp. A total of three injections of PRP were given at 4-week intervals. Final assessment was done at week 12 on the basis of platelet count in PRP, 7-point investigator’s assessment on digital photography and terminal to vellus hair (T/V) ratio. Average whole blood platelet count was 1·92 ± 0·30 lacs μL^–1. The average platelet count in the conventional and novel groups was 7·64 (1·75) lacs μL^–1 and 6·92 (1·27) lacs μL^–1 (P = 0·091) The mean investigator assessment scores in the conventional and novel groups were 2·29 (0·77) and 2·33 (0·78), with a paired difference of the mean of –0·30 (0·21) (95% confidence interval –0·46 to 0·38) and a P-value of 0·862. T/V ratio changed from 2·53 (1·20) at baseline to 3·38 (0·92) in the conventional group and from 2·51 (1·12) at baseline to 4·50 (1·60) in the novel method group at the end of the study. The change in T/V ratio was statistically significant in both the groups (P = 0·00), but the comparison between the groups was not significant. PRP helps in AGA by the proliferation of stem cells in the bulge area of hair follicle. In this split-scalp study, we tested novel PRP with conventional PRP and found good improvement in all patients in both groups, with no statistically significant difference.