PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy is a non-surgical method of treating hair loss. It involves performing short injections into the scalp with a concentrated solution derived from a sample of your own blood. It is a type of “biotherapy” that uses your body’s own healing and repair ability. And this is why it often attracts people who want to avoid pharmaceutical products or use it in addition to another treatment for hair loss.
PRP therapy is a relatively new treatment option for hair loss. However, it has been widely used for joint conditions and facial rejuvenation, and many studies investigating PPR have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. It has been shown to be a very safe treatment, and although each patient’s response will be different, we are seeing very encouraging results in treating hair loss.
Are all PRP treatments the same?
No. The term PRP is very broad and the chances of achieving the desired result depend on many factors. The concentration of platelets and other blood components in the PRP sample must be precisely controlled and adjusted according to the condition being treated. The choice of centrifuge device used to produce the PRP sample is also a critical factor. It is important to check the scientific credentials of the device used for your treatment, as well as the reasoning of the medical staff based on which they recommend this particular treatment to you.
What is PRP injection?
Plasma is the liquid component of blood and makes up most of its volume. In plasma there are three types of blood cells, red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that help fight infections, and platelets, which are responsible for blood clotting, as well as for healing and repairing wounds.
PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, is a plasma solution that contains approximately five times the concentration of platelets compared to normal levels. After an injury, platelets play a critical role in healing by releasing growth factors. Growth factors are a group of proteins that stimulate the growth of specific tissues.
It is thought that many of these growth factors promote hair growth.
How does PRP work?
We don’t know exactly how platelet-rich plasma (PRP) stimulates hair growth. There are limited studies that show that PRP can stimulate hair growth in laboratory settings and in clinical trials. It is thought that the growth factors in PRP stimulate new blood vessels, enhance the natural wound healing process, and possibly stimulate stem cells. However, more research is needed to determine how PRP works in relation to hair growth.
After the blood draw is complete, the platelet-rich plasma is separated from the rest of the blood through an automatic centrifugation system.
We will need to collect 44 ml of blood, a little more than is required for a common blood test. We use a butterfly needle and most patients report that this procedure is painless.
What does the treatment include?
The area of the head where the treatment is to be applied is numbed with local anesthesia through injections. We use various techniques to ensure that this procedure is as comfortable as possible. Once the PRP has been separated from your blood sample, the platelet-rich plasma is injected just under the skin in precise amounts and at a specific depth.
We recommend repeating the treatment in 3 treatment sessions with an interval of 4 weeks. To maintain the results, we recommend a repeat session every 6-12 months.
Are there any risks to PRP treatment?
Since platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is derived from your own blood, safety concerns are minimal. To date, no studies have shown safety concerns or significant side effects of PRP treatment. PRP has been used for years in orthopedics and dentistry without any reported side effects.
Some patients experience discomfort after the procedure, but most do not report pain. There is a possibility of swelling of the scalp and forehead, which usually subsides within 3-5 days.
Contraindications
You must inform us in the following cases:
Are you a candidate for PRP?
PRP therapy can be used in two ways: as an independent treatment or as a complement to hair transplantation.
1. Independent treatment:
For men and women who are experiencing hair thinning, but not to the point of being candidates for hair transplantation. For men and women who cannot tolerate other medical treatments, such as Propecia (finasteride) or Regaine (minoxidil), or want to use them in combination for added benefit.
2. As a supplement to hair transplant surgery:
There is a possibility that PRP therapy may enhance the body's natural healing mechanism after a transplant in both the donor and recipient areas. Research using PRP therapy in this way is limited and most of our information is anecdotal. Additionally, if a person's donor area is limited and only part of the area with hair loss can be treated during the transplant, PRP therapy may be used as a supplement to stimulate hair growth in the areas that were not transplanted.
Will PRP treatment work for you?
We have seen some very good results with PRP when applied to areas of thinning hair. However, it does not work for all patients and we do not know why it works better in some cases than others. The use of PRP therapy for hair growth is relatively new and has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this treatment. Therefore, it is still considered experimental.
At our clinic we have decided to offer PRP treatment due to the excellent results observed by some of the leading, internationally recognized doctors specializing in hair transplantation and the studies that have shown that the results are good. It works best in areas where there is still a lot of thin and shrunken hair, while it is usually not effective in areas with complete hair loss.