PRP Hair Restoration

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy is a relatively new popular non-surgical method of hair restoration treatment for both men and women. Since human blood naturally contains stem cells and essential specific growth factors that help in tissue regeneration and healing, the main purpose of PRP in hair restoration is to stimulate inactive or newly implanted hair follicles into an active growth phase by using these factors in the patient’s own blood. As a stand-alone treatment, PRP has been shown to help patients with male and female pattern hair loss by slowing down the pace of hair loss, making finer hairs thicker and increasing overall density and strength. As a post-surgical treatment, PRP is often recommended for patients who underwent hair transplant as the injected rich plasma helps increase the chances of survival for transplanted follicles.

Best Candidates

All healthy individuals experiencing hair loss are potentially good candidates for PRP. Although patients in the early stages of hair loss who still have functioning but weak and thinning hair in their scalp appear to have the greatest success with PRP, it can also help in cases of more advanced hair loss and be recommended after hair transplant. Same as in every other medical procedure, patients must have realistic expectations and a good understanding of the process.

You may be a good candidate for PRP hair restoration treatment if :

• you are in good overall physical health
• your hair has started thinning and you are experiencing early stages of hair loss
• your hair loss has stopped but you are left with weak thin hair
• you have recently underwent hair transplant surgery

Patients with history of heavy smoking, drug and alcohol use or patients who have certain blood disorders that interfere with clotting or cause deficiencies in platelets are not good candidates.

Before The Treatment

Once you have decided to undergo PRP hair restoration therapy, your choice of the doctor is very important. You need to search for a physician with extensive experience with PRP for hair restoration, because although PRP is used in various other treatments, techniques used for the scalp differ from the techniques used in other areas of the body.

Patients should keep their hair clean and not apply any oils, serums or drugs like minoxidil for at least 2 days before PRP treatment. Its recommended to use a quality shampoo and conditioner that helps promote the health of your scalp. You must stop smoking and drinking alcohol as early as possible before the treatment.

Taking blood thinning medications such as aspirin and certain anti-inflammatory drugs must also be avoided as they can increase bleeding and the doctor should be informed about any medications you are on.

The Treatment

PRP hair loss treatment is a straightforward and minimally invasive process that can be completed within 1 or 2 hours. Initially some small amount of blood is taken from the patient and placed in a medical centrifuge for the separation process. An activation agent is then added that stimulates the platelets and helps the plasma stay where it was injected and not disperse. This allows the treatment to be focused in the target area. The prepared rich plasma is then transferred to a syringe in order to be injected into the planned areas. It can be applied to multiple areas as needed. Because the syringe has a very thin needle, the process can be undergone without anesthesia and there will be minimal pain.

After The Treatment

Minimal swelling and soreness is normal and will subside shortly after the treatment. The treated areas should not be massaged and kept out of direct sunlight and harsh weather right after the surgery. You can go home right after the surgery and you will not be restricted to perform your regular activities including shampooing, conditioning and taking shower. Although after a successful treatment patients may expect to notice results after around a month, it usually requires multiple treatments months apart before achieving the best results.