Study on the Efficacy of Platelet-rich Fibrin Matrix in Hair Follicular Unit Transplantation in Androgenetic Alopecia Patients.

Hair loss is a significant problem worldwide. The most common cause of hair loss in men is male androgenetic alopecia, male pattern baldness, which is primarily due to the presence of nonfunctional or dead hair follicles in the scalp. Hair follicular unit transplantation has been a widely used technique to transplant hair follicles into bald areas. Although follicular unit transplantation generally gives satisfactory hair transplantation, efforts have been made to further increase the efficacy of follicular unit transplantation in hair regeneration. The crucial discovery of platelet-derived growth factors has resulted in the development of novel autologous therapeutic methods. Platelet-rich fibrin matrix represents a revolutionary step in the platelet gel therapeutic concept. This technique is fast and involves minimal manipulations. In this paper, the authors studied the efficacy of platelet-rich fibrin matrix in conjunction with follicular unit transplantation for regeneration of new hair in bald areas in male androgenetic alopecia patients. Ten male subjects between 18 and 50 years of age with Norwood Alopecia from Grade 4 to 6 were chosen for the study. The study was performed at Derma Solutions clinic, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Patients with thyroid disorders, bleeding disorders, or other co-existing morbidities were excluded. The number of hair follicles began to increase progressively after platelet-rich fibrin matrix treatment was performed on the right side of the scalp and the effect was very distinct after six months of platelet-rich fibrin matrix treatment. This study clearly indicates that platelet-rich fibrin matrix plays a key role in hair regeneration using follicular unit transplantation techniques. Further studies are needed to determine how platelet-rich fibrin matrix helps improve hair retention and regeneration. Additionally, it would be interesting to know how long the effect of platelet-rich fibrin matrix lasts after the termination of therapy. Thus, a future longitudinal study would be very useful. (J 2016;9(9):29-35.).