title: Systematic review of the use of platelet-rich plasma in aesthetic dermatology.
abstract: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a highly concentrated autologous solution of plasma prepared from a patient's own blood. PRP contains platelets that are purported to release numerous growth factors that may be valuable in numerous dermatologic applications. Here, we review systematically the clinical cosmetic applications of PRP including: androgenetic alopecia, scar revision, acne scars, skin rejuvenation, dermal augmentation, and striae distensae to understand the potential and best practices for PRP use. A systematic search was conducted on three databases: Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science. Publications were included if they were in English, investigated the clinical applications of PRP in aesthetic dermatology and reported clinical results either as case reports or clinical studies. There were a total of 22 manuscripts that fulfilled these criteria. Four evaluated hair-related applications, eight evaluated the treatment of scars and postprocedure recovery, eight evaluated skin rejuvenation and dermal augmentation, and two evaluated treatment of striae distensae. PRP is a relatively new treatment modality with studies suggesting its utility in aesthetic dermatology. The combination of PRP with other therapies is particularly interesting. Future studies should include controls, including incorporation of split-face comparisons, to reduce intersubject variability.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Owaisi Hospital and Research Centre, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Alur S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Sainath Skin Clinic, Himayathnagar, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kirit
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology,Venereology, and Leprosy, Central Hospital South Central Railway, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Rajyalaxmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Konathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Raja K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Sivamani
mesh_terms: D000505:Alopecia / Q000628:therapy; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000628:therapy; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques; D004954:Esthetics; D006801:Humans; D053657:Platelet-Rich Plasma; D015595:Skin Aging; D057896:Striae Distensae / Q000628:therapy
keywords: aesthetic; cosmetic; dermatology; facial rejuvenation; platelet-rich plasma; review