PRP Treatment For Male Hair Loss
PRP preliminary studies indicate patients respond to PRP therapy well. Larger clinical studies are pending but the current medical literature contains numerous optimistic results. PRP as a non-surgical option offers patients with miniaturization and hair thinning improvement in hair calibre and thickness, of course, individual results vary with each patient.
What is PRP Treatment?
· Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is obtained from the patients own blood and consists essentially of platelets and other blood components such as plasma, vitamins and minerals.
· Platelets are responsible for healing and contain active molecules called growth factors, which allow for the natural healing of damaged tissues.
· PRP involves concentrating the platelets found in the blood sample.
· A normal concentration of platelets circulating in your blood is 200,000 per microlitre, the platelet count in PRP can exceed 1 million platelets per microlitre.
· PRP is the only available product that contains elevated levels of naturally occurring growth factors that help stimulate hair follicles making it extremely useful for men and women’s hair restoration programs.
· The primary purpose of using PRP in hair restoration is to stimulate inactive or newly implanted hair follicles into an active growth phase.
Advantages of PRP
· Naturally stimulates hair growth
· Increases hair volume, density and fullness
· Increases survival and strengthening of existing hair
· Improves hair quality
· Decreases hair loss
· Overall high patient satisfaction
· The only non-surgical and non-pharmaceutical treatment that has proven its efficacy
· Can be used in conjunction with other therapies and medications for hair loss
The Science of PRP
The concentrated platelets found in PRP can theoretically cause the growth of the hair follicles by stimulating the stem cells and other cells in the microenvironment of the hair follicle. Inside the Platelets are many intracellular structures such as glycogen, lysosomes and alpha granules. These granules within the PRP contain clotting and growth factors that are eventually released during the healing and repair process.
What Does the Treatment Entail?
The PRP treatment takes about 60 minutes and is performed on an outpatient basis.
1. A blood sample (8-25ml) is collected in a similar way to a blood test
2. Centrifugation and separation of blood constituents
3. Ready-to-use PRP is recovered into a syringe
4. Ready-to-use PRP can now be re-injected into the scalp (subdermal 1.5-2.5mm).
5. LLL therapy is given
What type of Alopecia can be treated?
· Androgenic Alopecia: a major form of hair loss, mainly due to hormonal disturbances;
· Diffuse Alopecia: caused by a physiological change such as stress, nutrient deficiencies, etc;
· Alopecia Areata: autoimmune disease in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the scalp
Norwood Scale
Cost of prp?
4k to 5k
How many sessions are needed?
Cosmo care has studied current research for optimal treatment regimes for hair restoration. Results showed that a significant increase in the rate of hair growth was observed between the 3rd and 6th months. Hair density followed a rising trend with a remarkable peak at 3 months. Patients with II-III grade of alopecia had better results compared to patients with more advanced alopecia
· Initial PRP at weeks 0, 3, 6 and 12
· Booster PRP at 6 and 12 months from the start of treatment
· Maintenance treatments bi-annually (dependent on the outcome)
· Low-level laser to be used in conjunction with PRP to enhance platelet activation.
The PRP Treatment
· Initial consultation to determine areas of hair loss to be treated, medical history, photographic record and pre-procedure instructions and tips.
· Day of the procedure –
· The scalp is prepared with an antiseptic solution
· A topical analgesic cream is placed on the area to be treated to numb the scalp
· Blood is taken from the patient and centrifuged in preparation for injection
· Small injections of the PRP deliver the platelet-derived growth factors into the skin at the level of the weak follicles. Micro-needling is performed.
· A session of Low-Level Laser Therapy is performed before the patient leaves the office.
Is there a Recovery Period or Downtime after PRP Treatments?
· 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.
· Some brief mild inflammation noticeable as redness/pinkness and numbness of the scalp may be present for several hours.
· No harsh chemical colouring or perming treatments should be performed for at least 72 hours.
· Use of topical hair growth treatments like Minoxidil or similar can resume the next day.
Are there any factors that would make someone ineligible for PRP?
· The vast majority of healthy individuals can easily undergo PRP treatments.
· Certain conditions like blood and platelet disorders, chronic liver disease, the presence of an active severe infection, cardiovascular or hemodynamic instability and/or anticoagulation therapy are contraindicated.
· Different areas of the scalp may respond differently to PRP depending on the number 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.