What is PRP Therapy?

To understand how PRP works, it is important to be aware of the role that platelets play in healing.

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Platelets are a component of blood, along with red and white blood cells. When a person sustains a cut or wound, the platelets are some of the body’s “first responders” that arrive to stop the bleeding and promote healing.

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Researchers theorized that if they could extract concentrated platelets and inject them into damaged areas of the body, they could accelerate healing.

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To produce PRP, Renove Med Spa will take a blood sample and put it into a machine called a centrifuge. This machine spins at a rapid rate, which separates the components of the blood, then extracts the platelets for injection.

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PRP contains a range of growth factors and proteins that speed tissue repair. As some types of hair loss result from damage to hair follicles, PRP helps regrow hair by reversing the process that occurs in androgenetic alopecia.

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PRP has become a popular method of restoring hair growth.

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Hair Restoration with PRP

The use of platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of hair loss, holds some of the strongest and most convincing evidence for successful hair restoration. Platelet-rich plasma increases proliferation rates of human cells that regulate hair follicle growth. Through the release of growth factors and stem cells, activation of the growth phase of the hair cycle begins, leading to hair follicle formation and maintenance. The anagen (growth) phase of the hair cycle is thus maintained with a delay in progression to the catagen (fall out) phase, which over time leads to an overall increase in hair density. Studies have shown significant improvements in alopecia with a significant increase in number of hairs per square centimeter.

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A common method of performing platelet-rich plasma injections to the scalp is with multiple small injections, in a linear pattern, 1 cm apart, known as the "nappage" technique, which is the technique we use at Renove Medical Spa . Treatment is usually performed several times, with intervals ranging from 1 week to 1 month. Some protocols also recommend continued maintenance therapy after the initial treatment sessions to maintain the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle. The peak of hair density is at 3 months after initial treatment, and began declining at 6 months; therefore, a booster treatment was administered at 6 months to maintain the results achieved. In that study, hair density at 1-year follow-up remained significantly higher than that of baseline. It is recommended to have periodic treatments of two to three times per year after the initial treatment sessions for the most effective treatment as per the recent studies.

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How long does it last?

PRP is not a cure for conditions that cause hair loss. For this reason, a person would need to receive multiple PRP treatments over time to maintain hair growth results. The same is true of medications that doctors commonly use to treat androgenetic alopecia, such as topical minoxidil (Rogaine) and oral finasteride (Propecia).

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Dr. Parsons will provide recommendations for how often you should have PRP and it will vary depending on your condition and the results of your initial treatment. PRP therapy is a three-step process. Most PRP therapy requires three treatments 4–6 weeks apart.

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Side effects

As the PRP solution consists of a person’s own blood components, there are few risks of a reaction to the solution itself. However, people undergoing PRP treatments for hair loss may experience the following side effects:

• mild pain at the injection site

• scalp tenderness

• swelling

• a headache

• itching

• temporary bleeding at the injection site

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If you think you may be a candidate for a Platelet Rich Plasma Scalp treatment for hair restoration contact us for a complimentary consultation.

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