Comparison of PRP application with intradermal point by point injection and dermapen mediated microneedling with clinical findings and trichoscan in patients diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia

Comparison of PRP Application with Intradermal Point by Point Injection and Dermapen Mediated Microneedling with Clinical Findings and Trichoscan in Patients Diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia Objective: Androgenetic Alopecia; It is a progressive hair loss disease that occurs with the effect of androgens and genetic predisposition. Hair thinning and hair loss affect people's self-confidence and self-image more than is thought. In these patients, PRP treatment is used in addition to the limited medical treatments available. However, there is a lack of standardization for the application method of PRP treatment in the literature. The number of studies in which objective data and hair analysis parameters were revealed to demonstrate the effectiveness of PRP treatment is also very limited. In this study, it was aimed to show the efficacy of PRP treatment with Trichoscan data in AGA patients and to compare dermapen-mediated microneedling and point by point technique injection application methods. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with 62 male AGA patients, aged between 18-55 years, who applied to İnönü University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, and ranged from Norwood-Hamilton Stage II-V. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups and one group was given microneedling with a dermapen, an electrical device that makes automatic needling, and the other group was given manual injection with point by point technique with a 30 gauge needle. Sociodemographic characteristics, family histories, drug use, hair pulling test results, and platelet values were recorded. Before the first treatment, each patient underwent a Trichoscan hair analysis evaluation. A total of 4 sessions of PRP treatment were performed, as 3 sessions at 2-week intervals and the fourth session 1 month after the last session. Trichoscan evaluations, hair pull test, PGA and PAGA satisfaction score evaluations were recorded before the last session. Results: The mean age of the cases was 33.13±6.36. According to Norwood-Hamilton staging, Stage III was detected with the highest rate of 46% (29). Hair pulling test became significantly negative after treatment (p<0.05). Statistically significant differences were found in Trichoscan analysis parameters for hair count, hair density, terminal hair count, and terminal hair density in both groups compared to pre-treatment (p<0.05). Between the groups, a statistically significant difference was found between the averages of anagen hair, telogen hair and hair length in the dermapen treated group compared to the group treated with the point by point technique. Conclusion: In our study, the efficacy of PRP treatment for AGA patients was demonstrated by Trichoscan parameters. Among the PRP application methods, dermapen-mediated application was found to be superior to the point by point technique in terms of anagen, telogen and average hair length parameters. Keywords: Androgenetic Alopecia, PRP, Trichoscan