PRP Hair Treatment
PRP heart treatment is an exciting non-surgical alternative for patients who require stimulation of hair growth for hair loss conditions both men and women
PRP when used to target regeneration of hair growth in follicles enhance healing and the formation of new cell development as well as going further to accelerate regeneration rate and degree so that telogen hairs are expected to cycle to anlagen in a timely manner. In addition, the anlagen phase also gets prolonged playing an important role in hair restoration because it is particularly effective in stimulating inactive hair follicles, causing them to revert to the growth phase. PRP is a potential emerging non-surgical therapy for the natural stimulation of hair follicle to tackle thinning hair.
The growth cycle of a hair consists of 3 stages:
- ANAGEN (GROWING) STAGE. The anagen stage is the growing period of a hair follicle. …
- CATAGEN (INTERMEDIATE) STAGE. The catagen stage is the intermediate period of hair growth. …
- TELOGEN (RESTING OR SHEDDING) STAGE.
Pattern Hair Loss refers to the loss of hair that predominantly affects the front and top of the scalp. Despite, being a problem for both genders, hair loss manifests many differences for men and women including presentation, prevalence, and pathophysiology.
Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most prevalent type of hair loss and it’s related to hormones (androgens) and genetic though the causes are not fully understood. By the age of 50, it affects almost 50% of white males and at least 25% of females. Also, almost 50% of women are affected by AGA during the course of their life time.
Women often have multifactorial causes related to hair loss, but the common causes often include; genetics, improper hair care, anemia, pregnancy (just after delivery),menopause, and extreme weight loss.
AGA progressively causes decrease in hair thickness and density, miniaturization of the hair follicle, and potentially significant baldness.
Effective research is evidently proving that exclusive PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) treatment with other combination treatments are close to providing ideal revolutionary solutions to Pattern hair loss. AGA progressively causes decrease in hair thickness and density, miniaturization of the hair follicle, and potentially significant baldness.
PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma hair restoration procedure involves the use of patient’s own blood to restore the lost hair. There are various benefits of PRP hair treatment and these include:
- Safe procedure
- Non-invasive
- No downtime & recovery time
- Minimal discomfort
- No side effects or complications
- Long-lasting results
PRP Hair Growth FAQ
Hair thinning in women which affects nearly 40 million American women is mainly due to heredity and can start any time after puberty. However, we also know that female pattern hair loss can be strongly influenced by age, nutrition, stress, surgery, medications, illness, social/lifestyle factors, hair care and more. As hair follicles weaken and stop producing hair, hair loss occurs.
In men we know that hair loss follows a very specific, progressive pattern that is passed on through heredity and is triggered by hormone–specifically dihydrotestosterone or DHT. An estimated 60 million American men are suffering with male pattern hair loss. As hair follicles miniaturize and weaken, coverage of the scalp diminishes leaving thinning or balding areas.
The first step for anyone with a hair or scalp problem is to visit a full-time, credentialed hair restoration physician with experience and expertise in accurate diagnosis, successful treatment and long-term follow-up required in the medical management of hair loss patients. A medical hair loss “work up” starts with a detailed medical history, including family history, history of medical illness, poor nutrition, current medications, hair care regimen, recent surgeries and a detailed history of the hair loss situation. A scalp biopsy, blood work or other testing (like a HairDX genetic test) may be performed if indicated by the history and physical symptoms. Physical exam would include evaluation of the scalp for signs and symptoms of hair loss and any concurrent problems, such as inflammation. HairCheck cross sectional trichometry is used to measure Hair Mass in the relatively permanent areas of the scalp compared to the non-permanent or at-risk areas. Video dermoscopy with a HairCam device is used to determine if there is decreased numbers of follicles in the affected areas, a decreased caliber of follicles in the affected areas, or a combination of both.
PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma for hair regrowth is an in-office, non-surgical, autologous treatment derived from the patient’s own blood that can be performed in about an hour. After the area of concern is identified, evaluated and measured, standardized medical photos are taken in the photo suite. Special gentle and sterile techniques and equipment are used to separate and concentrate the platelets and plasma from a small sample of peripheral blood. A small sample of the blood and PRP is tested in a hematology analyzer to measure and document the improved platelet concentration. PRP contains growth factors and cytokines that have been shown to be responsible for stimulating and enhancing hair follicle function. The PRP may be combined with ECM or Extracellular Matrix (like ACell or BioD) for a stronger and longer hair growth result. The scalp is prepared with antiseptic solution and anesthetic (a “ring block,” not simply local anesthetic gel) is used to completely numb the scalp for a 100% painless procedure. Small injections of the PRP deliver the powerful platelet-derived growth factors into the skin at the level of the weak follicles. Electronic, mechanical microneedling is performed. A session of Low Level Laser Therapy is performed before the patient leaves the office.
At Bauman Medical, we focus on two types of hair loss patients when it comes to PRP treatments: patients with areas of “weak quality” hair growth on the scalp, where functioning hair follicles can still be observed, and patients with small areas of alopecia areata. In our experience, these are the patients who appear to have the greatest success with PRP hair regrowth treatments.
It has been reported that when Extracellular Matrix or ECM products like ACell (porcine bladder-derived) or BioD (human amniotic placenta-derived) are added to PRP in appropriate quantities, a stronger and longer duration of hair growth improvement has been observed.
According to published reports, “plain” PRP (without ECM) tends to improve hair caliber and hair growth for about four to six weeks, requiring multiple repeated treatments as often as every other month. When using ECMs like ACell or BioD, the effects of PRP have been reported to be stronger and last longer. In our hands, at Bauman Medical, we have noticed that Hair Mass Index (aka HairScore) measurements performed with HairCheck cross sectional hair bundle trichometry can improve and plateau for up to two years* when PRP is combined with ECM called “BioD-Restore.” On average, however, most patients will require their repeat PRP treatment after an average of one year in order to maintain the hair growth effects.
Hair Mass Index, HMI or Hair Score is the unit of measure obtained from the HairCheck tool. It is a numerical representation of the cross sectional area of a bundle of hair that grows from a 2cm x 2cm area of scalp. Consider for a moment the thickness of a ponytail of hair. This thickness is a product of the amount of hair fibers within the bundle as well as the thickness of each individual hair fiber. Therefore, Hair Mass Index or HMI is a highly accurate and sensitive measurement of the amount and quality of hair growing from the scalp in any given area. Doctors and others can learn how to accurately perform HMI measurements with HairCheck through the HairCoach training and certification program.
PRP is a comfortable, in-office, non-surgical procedure that takes about an hour start-to-finish, and most of that time is spent in the preparation phase… meaning you, the patient, is just relaxing! Most patients notice a brief period of inflammation during which their scalp remains somewhat pink and numb for a few hours. Swelling is rare (about 15% of the time) and if it occurs is noticeable in the forehead or around the eye area on the next day. Any swelling takes about a day or two to resolve. Hair growth improvements can typically be measured in about three months, but it takes six to twelve months to visually “see” the difference in photos and in the mirror.
The main risk of PRP is that your doctor or technicians are using careless or outdated preparation and application equipment or techniques… resulting in a poor or less than optimal outcome.
Patients with certain blood disorders or on certain medications are not candidates for PRP treatments. PRP is immunologically neutral and poses little risk of allergy, hypersensitivity or foreign-body reactions. At Bauman Medical, we use the yesPRP system of kits and centrifuges to assist in a consistent quality of preparation of PRP.
The main risk of PRP is that your doctor or technicians are using careless or outdated preparation and application equipment or techniques… resulting in a poor or less than optimal outcome.
Patients with certain blood disorders or on certain medications are not candidates for PRP treatments. PRP is immunologically neutral and poses little risk of allergy, hypersensitivity or foreign-body reactions. At Bauman Medical, we use the yesPRP system of kits and centrifuges to assist in a consistent quality of preparation of PRP.
According to published reports, “plain” PRP (without ECM) tends to improve hair caliber and hair growth for about four to six weeks, requiring multiple repeated treatments as often as every other month. When using ECMs like ACell or BioD, the effects of PRP have been reported to be stronger and last longer. In our hands, at Bauman Medical, we have noticed that Hair Mass Index (aka HairScore) measurements performed with HairCheck cross sectional hair bundle trichometry can improve and plateau for up to two years* when PRP is combined with ECM called “BioD-Restore.” On average, however, most patients will require their repeat PRP treatment after an average of one year in order to maintain the hair growth effects.
There is no activity restriction after a PRP treatment. Patients may shower/shampoo/condition their hair normally just several hours after the treatment and resume normal daily and athletic activities. As mentioned previously, some brief mild inflammation noticeable as redness/pinkness and numbness of the scalp may be present for several hours. No harsh chemical coloring or perming treatments should be performed for at least 72 hours. Use of topical hair growth treatments like Minoxidil 82M or similar can resume the next day. Laser therapy treatments can also be resumed the next day.
Patients should be educated by their Hair Restoration Physician as to what results they could expect from PRP in various areas of the scalp. Different areas of the scalp may respond differently to PRP depending on the amount of weak hair follicles present in each zone. Generally, with the exception of small round areas of alopecia areata, locations where severe depletion of follicles has occurred should not be treated. The vast majority of healthy individuals can easily undergo PRP treatments. Certain conditions like blood and platelet disorders, chronic liver disease, presence of an active severe infection, cardiovascular or hemodynamic instability and/or the presence of anti-coagulation therapy (e.g. warfarin) would make PRP contraindicated. Recent steroid treatments and smoking are relative contraindications and should be discussed with your Hair Restoration Physician.