Androgenetic Alopecia
Conditions
Brief summary
Androgenetic Alopecia is the most common non scarring alopecia worldwide. Treatment of which has been limited with few options for medical and surgical treatment, the cost of the latter being prohibitive for many. Recently there have been several new modalities proposed as treatment, namely Microneedling and Platelet Rich Plasma. Microneedling has been shown to overexpress hair growth factors which may enhance or stimulate miniaturized hairs to grow. It has also been shown to increase the absorption of topical products significantly. The exact mechanism of action of Microneedling is still being delineated. In this study, we aim to do a half lesional study with global photographs and hair counts done at the start of , week four and week twelve. Patients would be needled once weekly after application of topical anaesthetic (5% EMLA). If by week six there is significant regrowth (\>30%), then total lesional needling will be done. Patients will only be using topical 5% Minoxidil throughout the study as this will prolong the effects of the regrowth.
Interventions
DEVICEtopical 5% Minoxidil (Microneedling)
Sponsors
Vancouver General Hospital
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Men between the ages 18-65. 2. Disease Stage: Norwood Hamilton IIIa-IV. 3. Length of time with disease \< 10 years.
Exclusion criteria
1. Must not have other concurrent hair disease. 2. Have not used any oral anti androgen (Finasteride or Dutasteride) in the past six months. If so, a washout period is needed. One month for Finasteride and three months for Dutasteride. 3. Patients under the age of 18. 4. Patients who are unable to offer consent.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Hair caliber diameter and hair counts will be measured on both the treated and untreated sides. | three months |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Adverse effects of the procedure will be recorded. | three months |
Countries
Canada
Contacts
Primary ContactJerry Shapiro, MD
Backup ContactLlorenia Muir-Green, MBBS
Outcome results
None listed