Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as a new treatment modality in regenerative plastic surgery, and preliminary evidence suggests that it might have a beneficial role in hair regrowth. Here, we report the results of a randomized, evaluator-blinded, placebo-controlled, half-head group study to compare, with the aid of computerized trichograms, hair regrowth with PRP versus placebo. The safety and clinical efficacy of autologous PRP injections for pattern hair loss were investigated. PRP, prepared from a small volume of blood, was injected on half of the selected patients' scalps with pattern hair loss. The other half was treated with placebo. Three treatments were administered to each patient at 30-day intervals. The endpoints were hair regrowth, hair dystrophy as measured by dermoscopy, burning or itching sensation, and cell proliferation as measured by Ki67 evaluation. Patients were followed for 2 years. Of the 23 patients enrolled, 3 were excluded. At the end of the 3 treatment cycles, the patients presented clinical improvement in the mean number of hairs, with a mean increase of 33.6 hairs in the target area, and a mean increase in total hair density of 45.9 hairs per cm2 compared with baseline values. No side effects were noted during treatment. Microscopic evaluation showed the increase of epidermis thickness and of the number of hair follicles 2 weeks after the last PRP treatment compared with baseline value (p < .05). We also observed an increase of Ki67+ keratinocytes in the epidermis and of hair follicular bulge cells, and a slight increase of small blood vessels around hair follicles in the treated skin compared with baseline (p < .05). Relapse of androgenic alopecia was not evaluated in all patients until 12 months after the last treatment. After 12 months, 4 patients reported progressive hair loss; this was more evident 16 months after the last treatment. Those four patients were re-treated. Our data clearly highlight the positive effects of PRP injections on male pattern hair loss and absence of major side effects. PRP may serve as a safe and effective treatment option against hair loss; more extensive controlled studies are needed. Significance: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has emerged as a new treatment modality in regenerative plastic surgery, and preliminary evidence suggests that it might have a beneficial role in hair regrowth. Here, the results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, half-head group study to compare the hair regrowth with PRP versus placebo are reported. Hair regrowth was quantified by a blinded evaluator using computerized trichograms. The safety and clinical efficacy of autologous PRP injections for pattern hair loss were investigated. Of the 23 patients enrolled, 3 were excluded. At the end of the 3 treatment cycles, the patients presented clinical improvement in the mean number of hairs, with a mean increase of 33.6 hairs in the target area and a mean increase in total hair density of 45.9 hairs per cm2 compared with baseline values. No side effects were noted during treatment. The data clearly highlight the positive effects of PRP injections on male pattern hair loss and absence of major side effects.

The use of stem cells has been reported to improve hair regrowth in several therapeutic strategies, including reversing the pathological mechanisms, that contribute to hair loss, regeneration of hair follicles, or creating hair using the tissue-engineering approach. Although various promising stem cell approaches are progressing via pre-clinical models to clinical trials, intraoperative stem cell treatments with a one-step procedure offer a quicker result by incorporating an autologous cell source without manipulation, which may be injected by surgeons through a well-established clinical practice. Many authors have concentrated on adipose-derived stromal vascular cells due to their ability to separate into numerous cell genealogies, platelet-rich plasma for its ability to enhance cell multiplication and neo-angiogenesis, as well as human follicle mesenchymal stem cells. In this paper, the significant improvements in intraoperative stem cell approaches, from in vivo models to clinical investigations, are reviewed. The potential regenerative instruments and functions of various cell populaces in the hair regrowth process are discussed. The addition of Wnt signaling in dermal papilla cells is considered a key factor in stimulating hair growth. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived signaling and growth factors obtained by platelets influence hair growth through cellular proliferation to prolong the anagen phase (FGF-7), induce cell growth (ERK activation), stimulate hair follicle development (β-catenin), and suppress apoptotic cues (Bcl-2 release and Akt activation).

The clinical use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for a wide variety of application has been reportedly employed most prevalently in problematic wounds, maxillofacial and hemi-facial atrophy, Romberg Syndrome, and diabetic foot ulcers. To our knowledge, PRP has never been described in the enhancement of fat grafting during tissue-engineering application in vivo. The authors describe the preparation of PRP and its use in a series of 43 patients who underwent plastic, reconstructive, and maxillofacial surgery for chronic lower extremity ulcers (n = 18) and multiple facial applications (n = 25). PRP mixed with fat grafting was used in 76% patients affected by multiple facial diseases and in 88.9% patients affected by lower extremity ulcers. PRP injection alone was used in the remaining patients. The authors observed that after a 7.1-week and 9.7-week (average) course of twice-daily wound treatment with PRP suspended on a collagen base, 61.1% and 88.9% of chronic lower extremity ulcers underwent to 100% reepithelization compared with 40% and 60% of controls (n = 10) treated with hyaluronic acid and collagen medication. In patients treated with reconstructing three-dimensional projection of face by fat grafting and PRP, we observed a 70% maintenance of contour restoring and three-dimensional volume after 1 year compared to only 31% of controls (n = 10) treated with fat grafting alone. In vitro, PRP induced a significant increase in the number of adipose-tissue-derived stem cells compared to control cultures. These results documented that PRP accelerates chronic skin ulcer reepithelization and improves maintenance and function of fat graft in patients who underwent plastic reconstructive surgery, possibly by stimulating adipose-tissue-derived stem cell proliferation.

To investigate the safety and clinical efficacy of AA-PRP injections for pattern hair loss. AA-PRP, prepared from a small volume of blood, was injected on half of the selected patients’ scalps with pattern hair loss. The other half was treated with placebo. Three treatments were given for each patient, with intervals of 1 month. The endpoints were hair re-growth, hair dystrophy as measured by dermoscopy, burning or itching sensation, and cell proliferation as measured by Ki-67 evaluation. At the end of the 3 cycles of treatment, the patients presented clinical improvement in the mean number of hairs, with a mean increase of 18.0 hairs in the target area, and a mean increase in total hair density of 27.7 ( number of hairs/cm²) compared with baseline values. Microscopic evaluation showed the increase of epidermis thickness and of the number of hair follicles two weeks after the last AA-PRP treatment compared to baseline value (P<0.05). We also observed an increase of Ki67⁺keratinocytes of epidermis and of hair follicular bulge cells and a slight increase of small blood vessels around hair follicles in the treated skin compared to baseline (P<0.05).

The use of autologous fat grafting is ideal in breast reconstruction. However, published data on long-term outcomes and instrumental results of fat grafting to the breast are lacking. The purpose of this study was to review the authors' experience of fat grafting, evaluating the effects related to the use of enhanced stromal vascular fraction (e-SVF) and fat grafting with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the maintenance of fat volume in breast reconstruction, comparing the results with a control group. Twenty-three patients aged 19–60 years affected by breast soft tissue defects were analyzed at the Plastic and Reconstructive Department of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. Ten patients were treated with SVF-enhanced autologous fat grafts, and 13 patients were treated with fat grafting + platelet-rich plasma. The patients in the control group (n = 10) were treated with centrifuged fat grafting injection according to Coleman's procedure. The patients treated with SVF-enhanced autologous fat grafts showed a 63% maintenance of the contour restoring and of three-dimensional volume after 1 year compared with the patients of the control group treated with centrifuged fat graft, who showed a 39% maintenance. In those patients who were treated with fat grafting and PRP, we observed a 69% maintenance of contour restoring and of three-dimensional volume after 1 year. As reported, the use of either e-SVF or PRP mixed with fat grafting produced an improvement in maintenance of breast volume in patients affected by breast soft tissue defect.

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) was tested as a potential therapy for androgenetic alopecia (AGA) through two different clinical protocols in which one population (18 participants) received half-head treatment with autologous non-activated PRP (A-PRP) produced by CPunT Preparation System (Biomed Device, Modena, Italy) and the other half-head with placebo, and a second separated population in which all participants (n = 6, 3 participants per group) received treatment with calcium-activated PRP (AA-PRP) produced from one of two different PRP collection devices (Regen Blood Cell Therapy or Arthrex Angel System). For the A-PRP study, three treatments were administered over 30-day intervals. Trichoscan analysis of patients, three months post-treatment, showed a clinical improvement in the number of hairs in the target area (36 ± 3 hairs) and in total hair density (65± 5 hair cm2), whereas negligible improvements in hair count (1.1± 1.4 hairs) and density (1.9 ± 10.2 hair cm2) were seen in the region of the scalp that received placebo. Microscopic evaluation conducted two weeks after treatment showed also an increase in epidermal thickness, Ki67+ keratinocytes, and in the number of follicles. The AA-PRP treatment groups received a singular set of injections, and six months after the treatments were administered, notable differences in clinical outcomes were obtained from the two PRP collection devices (+90 ± 6 hair cm2 versus -73 ± 30 hair cm2 hair densities, Regen versus Arthrex). Growth factor concentrations in AA-PRP prepared from the two collection devices did not differ significantly upon calcium activation.