Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) targets androgenetic alopecia, known as hereditary hair thinning that affects both men and women. Injecting the platelet rich plasma into the scalp, stimulates the hair follicles into a growth phase causing the hair to grow again.
For this condition, PRP is an all-natural, non-invasive procedure used to stimulate the growth of hair and to reduce the effects of thinning. This procedure has no downtime, minimal discomfort and there is no risk of intolerance because the process of retrieving PRP is exclusively from your own body (autologous in origin). The growth factors in activated autologous PRP target the proliferation of dermal papilla cells (a component of the hair follicles). Human blood contains mesenchymal stem cells and autologous blood products.
On the day of treatment:
Our registered nurse will draw a small amount of blood from a patient’s arm, similar to what is required to fill a test tube. A topical anesthetic is applied to numb the area of the scalp to be treated.
The blood is then placed into a centrifuge and spun at a very rapid rate to separate the platelets from the other components of the blood. Once divided, the plasma has a higher than normal number of healing blood platelets referred to Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). The highly concentrated platelets contain protein that stimulate hair follicles to generate hair growth. Using a very fine gauge needle, PRP will be injected into the target area where the hair loss is most severe.
Hair grows through stages. By scheduling four treatments spaced 4 weeks apart, we can treat the majority of hair when it is in the receptive phase. PRP is highly effective in stimulating inactive hair follicles, causing them to revert to the growth phase. After the first treatment, patients may notice less hair loss. After the 2nd or 3rd treatment, patients will notice less hair loss and thicker hair. Optimal results are more visible at the 4 month stage where a patient will notice thicker hair and new hair growth.
List of specific cells within PRP that cause hair growth:
- Epiderman Growth Factor (EGF)
- Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF-2)
- Insulin Like Growth Factor (IGF)
- Platelet-Derived Growth-Factor (PDGF)
- Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TFG-b)
- Vascular Endothelial Growth-Factor (VEGF)