Observation on the Efficacy of a Combined Treatment for Moderate and Severe Androgenetic Alopecia Incorporating Electric Microneedles

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a combined treatment for moderate and severe androgenetic alopecia (AGA) involving the use of electric microneedles. Methods A total of 83 patients with moderate to severe AGA in the Department of Dermatology at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were included in this study. The male patients were administered finasteride orally and 5% minoxidil for external use, while the female patients were given spironolactone orally or Diane-35 and 2% minoxidil for external use. All the patients were then treated via electric microneedle therapy alongside the YUFA ® medical care package (Foshan, China) once a week for 1–28 weeks. The seven-point method and root hair measurement using a hair mirror were adopted to evaluate the efficacy and any adverse reactions of the combined treatment. Results Eleven patients were treated for 1–3 weeks, 60 for 4–12 weeks, and 12 for more than 12 weeks. The efficacy evaluation using the seven-point method for 12 weeks of treatment indicated a 100% response rate, specifically, a 42.1% mild improvement rate, a 38.6% moderate improvement rate, and a 19.3% marked improvement rate. Besides, the efficacy assessment was also completed with root hair count method and the number of hair roots measured at fixed points were 148.67±11.15, 158.13±5.11 and 169.75±2.06 after treatment time at 16, 20 and 24 weeks, respectively. Of note, a statistical difference in the number of hair roots could be observed during the period of week 20–week 24 ( P < 0.01). Conclusion The combined treatment of moderate to severe AGA using the electric microneedle technique has a clear effect and can effectively increase the hair density. With a simple operation and mild side effects, the technique has wide application prospects.

Effect of minoxidil combined with triamcinolone acetonide on alopecia areata by microneedle injection

“…The control group was only treated with traditional minoxidil and triamcinolone acetonide, and the treatment group was treated with microneed‐guided minoxidil and triamcinolone acetonide. Our findings are consistent with the conclusions of current reports that microneedle therapy combined with hair transplantation serum can significantly improve the treatment effect of moderate to severe androgenetic alopecia 8 . Both groups of our patients showed improvement after treatment, but the group treated with micro‐needle delivery showed more significant improvement with SALT score ( p < 0.001) and DLQI score ( p < 0.05) indicating better efficacy compared to the control group treated with topical use.…”

“…Our findings are consistent with the conclusions of current reports that microneedle therapy combined with hair transplantation serum can significantly improve the treatment effect of moderate to severe androgenetic alopecia. 8 Both groups of our patients showed improvement after treatment, but the group treated with micro‐needle delivery showed more significant improvement with SALT score ( p < 0.001) and DLQI score ( p < 0.05) indicating better efficacy compared to the control group treated with topical use. Microneedles present ultrafine microstructures, using microneedles to create multiple small injury points on the surface of the skin, which can induce the formation of new blood vessels and cell growth factors, assist in the rapid penetration of medicine.…”

Observing the clinical efficacy of combined serum microneedle therapy for moderate to severe androgenetic alopecia in scalp repair

“…The results of the one‐way repeated measures ANOVA for N 1– N 7 were significant, revealing significant differences in all pairwise comparisons, indicating that scalp repair serum microneedle combined therapy had a positive therapeutic effect on moderate to severe androgenetic alopecia. Compared with previous studies, 11,13,17,19 the combined treatment interval in this study was 2 weeks. This interval showcased outstanding efficacy, suggesting that the hair restoration serum significantly improved treatment efficiency and enhanced patient compliance.…”

“…In addition, the risk of scalp infection is reduced because these channels can close spontaneously 3 . Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of microneedle therapy 11–16 . The majority of clinical trial results indicate that the efficacy of microneedles combined with a 5% minoxidil solution is significantly better than using microneedles or minoxidil alone, 16,17 and a 0.6 mm microneedle depth is superior to a 1.2 mm microneedle depth 18 .…”

“… 3 Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of microneedle therapy. 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 The majority of clinical trial results indicate that the efficacy of microneedles combined with a 5% minoxidil solution is significantly better than using microneedles or minoxidil alone, 16 , 17 and a 0.6 mm microneedle depth is superior to a 1.2 mm microneedle depth. 18 In addition, microneedle treatment can avoid the first‐pass effect, increase drug concentrations at the target sites, reduce the frequency of administration, and improve patient compliance.…”