International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research  |  e-ISSN: 2582-8940  |  Double-Blind Peer Review  |  Open Access  |  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Current Issues
     2026:7/4

International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research

e-ISSN: 2582-8940 | Open Access

A Comparative Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intralesional Triamcinolone Acetonide and Platelet-Rich Plasma in Alopecia Areata at a Tertiary Health-Care Centre

Dr. Kainam, Dr. Deepti Saxena, Dr. Chirag Chadha, Dr. Jaishree Noor, Dr. Disha Widhwani

3rd Year Junior Resident, Department of Skin & VD, Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India; Professor & HOD, Department of Skin & VD, Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India; Associate Professor, Department of Skin & VD, Al Falah School of Medical Sciences, Faridabad, India; Professor, Department of Skin & VD, Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Article Information

Volume / Issue7 / 3 (July-September 2026)
Pages45-48
AccessOpen Access

Publication Timeline

  • Received10 May 2026
  • Accepted09 June 2026
  • Published

Full Text (PDF)

Open Access - Free to Download

Download Full Article (PDF) JATS XML

Abstract

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a chronic, immune-mediated, non-scarring hair-loss disorder arising from a collapse of follicular immune privilege. Intralesional corticosteroids and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are both used for localized disease, but comparative long-term data remain limited.
Objective: To compare the efficacy, safety and relapse rates of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) and PRP in patients with patchy AA.
Methods: In this prospective interventional study, 60 patients aged 18–50 years with scalp-limited AA were allocated by systematic randomization into two groups of 30. Group A received double-centrifugation PRP and Group B received TAC (5 mg/mL); injections were given at 4-week intervals for 12 weeks. Response was assessed using the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks, with adverse events and relapse monitored to 9 months. Data were analysed in SPSS v25.0 with p < 0.05 considered significant.
Results: Both groups improved progressively, but TAC produced significantly faster early reduction in SALT scores at 4, 8 and 12 weeks (p = 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05). Excellent improvement (>75%) at 12 weeks was seen in 46.7% of TAC versus 33.3% of PRP patients. At 9 months, mean SALT scores were comparable (6.8 ± 4.1 vs 6.1 ± 3.5; p = 0.42). Skin atrophy (20%) and hypopigmentation (13.3%) occurred only in the TAC group, and relapse was lower with PRP (10% vs 26.7%). Shorter disease duration, fewer patches and lower baseline SALT predicted better response.
Conclusion: TAC and PRP are both effective for patchy AA. TAC achieves faster early regrowth, whereas PRP offers comparable long-term efficacy with a superior safety profile and a lower relapse tendency, making it a useful steroid-sparing alternative.
 

Keywords

Alopecia areataTriamcinolone acetonidePlatelet-rich plasmaSALT scoreIntralesional therapy

References

  1. Pratt CH, King LE Jr, Messenger AG, Christiano AM, Sundberg JP. Alopecia areata. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17011. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  2. Wasserman D, Guzman-Sanchez DA, Scott K, McMichael A. Alopecia areata. Int J Dermatol. 2007;46(2):121-31. International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research www.allmedicaljournal.com [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  3. Gilhar A, Etzioni A, Paus R. Alopecia areata. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(16):1515-25. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  4. Darwin E, Hirt PA, Fertig R, Doliner B, Delcanto G, Jimenez JJ. Alopecia areata: review of epidemiology, clinical features, pathogenesis, and new treatment options. Int J Trichol. 2018;10(2):51-60. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  5. Lee HH, Gwillim E, Patel KR, Hua T, Rastogi S, Ibler E, et al. Epidemiology of alopecia areata, ophiasis, totalis, and universalis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;82(3):675-82. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  6. Jeon JJ, Jung SW, Kim YH, Parisi R, Lee JY, Kim MH, et al. Global, regional and national epidemiology of alopecia areata: a systematic review and modelling study. Br J Dermatol. 2024;191(3):325-35. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  7. Rajabi F, Drake LA, Senna MM, Rezaei N. Alopecia areata: a review of disease pathogenesis. Br J Dermatol. 2018;179(5):1033-48. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  8. Alkhalifah A. Topical and intralesional therapies for alopecia areata. Dermatol Ther. 2011;24(3):355-63. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  9. Strazzulla LC, Wang EHC, Avila L, Lo Sicco K, Brinster N, Christiano AM, et al. Alopecia areata: an appraisal of new treatment approaches and overview of current therapies. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018;78(1):15-24. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  10. Kapoor P, Kumar S, Brar BK, Kukar N, Arora H, Brar SK. Comparative evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide versus intralesional autologous platelet-rich plasma injection in alopecia areata. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2020;13(2):103- [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  11. Balakrishnan A, Joy B, Thyvalappil A, Mathew P, Sreenivasan A, Sridharan R. A comparative study of therapeutic response to intralesional injections of platelet-rich plasma versus triamcinolone acetonide in alopecia areata. Indian Dermatol Online J. 2020;11(6):920-4. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  12. Shumez H, Prasad PVS, Kaviarasan PK, Deepika R. Intralesional platelet-rich plasma vs intralesional triamcinolone in the treatment of alopecia areata: a comparative study. Int J Med Res Health Sci. 2015;4(1):118-22. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  13. Jindal S, Jerajani H, Agrawal P. Intralesional platelet-rich plasma therapy versus intralesional triamcinolone acetonide for the treatment of alopecia areata. J Med Sci. 2018;5(2):68-75. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  14. Ninama K, Mahajan R, Bilimoria F, Vaghani A. A clinical study on alopecia areata. Int J Res Dermatol. 2018;4(1):66-71. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  15. Ranpariya RH, Gupta SB, Deora MS, Agrawal PV, Mathur R, Raheja A. Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide versus platelet-rich plasma: a comparative study in the treatment of alopecia areata of scalp. Int J Res Dermatol. 2019;5(3):521-7. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  16. Muhaidat J, Al-Qarqaz F, Khader Y, Alshiyab D, Alkofahi H, Almalekh M. A retrospective comparative study of two concentrations of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of patchy alopecia areata on the scalp. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2020;13:795-803. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  17. Khan F, Hussain M, Khan B, Afsar S, Shafique M, Haq S, et al. Comparative study between intralesional injection of platelet-rich plasma and intralesional triamcinolone for the treatment of alopecia areata. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2022;34(4):762-5. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  18. Meznerics FA, Illes K, Dembrovszky F, Fehervari P, Kemeny LV, Kovacs KD, et al. Platelet-rich plasma in alopecia areata—a steroid-free treatment modality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Biomedicines. 2022;10(8):1829. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  19. Su H, Chen Y, Chen Y. The optimal concentration of intralesional triamcinolone acetonide for patchy alopecia areata: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Dermatol Sin. 2022;40(2):85-93. [Google Scholar][Crossref]
  20. Bahri R, Maleki S, Shafiee A, Ghandi N, Abedini R, Ehsani A, et al. Efficacy and safety of platelet-rich plasma therapy in alopecia areata patients: a systematic review. Dermatol Ther. 2023;2023:8827644. [Google Scholar][Crossref]

How to Cite

Kainam, Saxena, D., Chadha, C., Noor, J., & Widhwani, D. (2026). A Comparative Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intralesional Triamcinolone Acetonide and Platelet-Rich Plasma in Alopecia Areata at a Tertiary Health-Care Centre. International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research, 7(3), 45-48. https://doi.org/10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.45-48

Kainam, et al. "A Comparative Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intralesional Triamcinolone Acetonide and Platelet-Rich Plasma in Alopecia Areata at a Tertiary Health-Care Centre." International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research, vol. 7, no. 3, 2026, pp. 45-48. https://doi.org/10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.45-48.

Kainam, Saxena, D., Chadha, C., Noor, J. and Widhwani, D. (2026) 'A Comparative Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intralesional Triamcinolone Acetonide and Platelet-Rich Plasma in Alopecia Areata at a Tertiary Health-Care Centre', International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research, 7(3), pp. 45-48. doi: 10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.45-48.

Kainam, Saxena D, Chadha C, Noor J, Widhwani D. A Comparative Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intralesional Triamcinolone Acetonide and Platelet-Rich Plasma in Alopecia Areata at a Tertiary Health-Care Centre. International Journal of Medical and All Body Health Research. 2026;7(3):45-48. doi:10.54660/IJMBHR.2026.7.3.45-48

Similar Articles

Share

Find this Article on

Google Scholar Semantic Scholar OpenAlex Scilit Crossref ResearchGate BASE

A newly published article may take a few days to appear on these services.