ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hair is an essential part of a woman's appearance and attractiveness. This is reflected in the predominantly psychological morbidity that can be associated with female pattern hair loss. Platelet-rich plasma(PRP) has been used in numerous fields of medicine. Recently, PRP has received growing attention as a potential therapeutic tool for hair loss. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of autologous platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of female pattern hair loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty female patients with female pattern hair loss were randomly assigned to receive autologous PRP injection into a selected area, and another area was injected with normal saline as a placebo. Sessions were performed weekly for a maximum total of four sessions. Patients were followed up 6 months after the end of last session. The outcome was assessed both subjectively and objectively. RESULTS: There was a statistical significant difference between PRP and placebo areas (P<.005) regarding both hair density and hair thickness as measured by a folliscope. The hair pull test became negative in PRP-injected areas in 25 patients (83%) with average number of three hairs. Global pictures showed a significant improvement in hair volume and quality together with a high overall patient satisfaction in PRP-injected sites, and these results were maintained during the 6-month follow- up. CONCLUSION: Platelet-rich plasma injections can be regarded as an alternative for the treatment of female pattern hair loss with minimal morbidity and a low cost-to-benefit ratio.
Subject(s)
Alopecia/drug therapy , Hair/growth & development , Platelet-Rich Plasma , Adult , Alopecia/diagnosis , Analysis of Variance , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Double-Blind Method , Drug Administration Schedule , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Hair/drug effects , Humans , Injections, Intradermal , Middle Aged , Reference Values , Severity of Illness Index , Statistics, Nonparametric , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ablative fractional erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser and microneedling have been popularized in recent years and their effectiveness and side effects individually reported. No previous study, however, has directly compared the efficacy and safety between the 2 different treatments. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of the ablative fractional Er:YAG laser and microneedling for the treatment of atrophic acne scars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with atrophic acne scars were randomly treated in a split-face manner with a fractional Er:YAG laser on one side and microneedling on the other side. All patients received 5 treatments with a 1-month interval. Objective and subjective assessments were obtained at baseline and at 3 months after the final treatment. RESULTS: At the 3-month follow-up, both treatment modalities induced noticeable clinical and histological improvement, with significantly better results in fractional Er:YAG laser versus microneedling (70% vs 30%), respectively (p < .001). Fractional Er:YAG laser sides had significantly lower pain scores. Total downtime was significantly shorter in microneedling sides. CONCLUSION: Both treatment modalities are effective and safe in the treatment of atrophic acne scars, with significantly higher scar response to the fractional Er:YAG laser treatment.
Subject(s)
Acne Vulgaris/therapy , Cicatrix/therapy , Cosmetic Techniques/instrumentation , Laser Therapy/instrumentation , Lasers, Solid-State , Needles , Acne Vulgaris/complications , Acne Vulgaris/pathology , Adult , Atrophy/therapy , Cicatrix/etiology , Cicatrix/pathology , Female , Humans , Male , Skin/pathology , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A verrucous epidermal nevus (VEN) is a skin disorder that has been treated using different treatment modalities with varying results. Ablative lasers such as carbon dioxide laser (CO2) and erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser have been considered as the gold standard for the treatment of epidermal nevi. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the efficacy, postoperative wound healing and side effects of pulsed CO2 laser and Er:YAG laser for the treatment of verrucous epidermal nevi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with localized VEN were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 was administered CO2 laser and group 2 underwent Er:YAG laser treatment. A blinded physician evaluated the photographs and dermoscopic photomicrographs for the efficacy and possible side effects. All patients received one treatment session and were followed up over a 6-month period. RESULTS: Both lasers induced noticeable clinical improvement, but there were no significant differences between two lasers in treatment response, patient satisfaction, duration of erythema and side effects. The average time to re-epithelialization was 13.5 days with CO2 and 7.9 days with Er:YAG laser (p< .0005). No scarring was observed in Er:YAG laser group and no lesional recurrence was detected in CO2 laser group since treatment. CONCLUSION: Apart from re-epithelialization, both lasers showed equivalent outcomes with respect to treatment response, patient satisfaction, side effects and complications.
