Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), is a concentrated serum taken from your own blood. This is prepared so that we keep only the components of blood that are useful in hair growth and we concentrate them into a potent serum that can be used to stimulate hair growth. PRP has been used for decades by orthopedic surgeons and other physicians for joint and soft tissue healing. It has more recently been used for hair restoration.

Platelets promote tissue regeneration and healing by releasing many different growth facts. Some of these are described here:

• Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) – PDGF is naturally made and stored by the body. Its encourages the growth of blood vessels within the body. Also known as angiogenesis, the process involves using cells from existing blood vessels to create new blood vessel tissue. This can help hair grow by encouraging better blood supply, bringing more nutrients to nourish the existing strong, as well as the struggling, follicles.

• Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) – FGFs have many functions. They assist PDGFs in the formation of new blood vessels and they can help with wound healing. The key to FGFs in PRP therapy is their ability to encourage the proliferation and differentiation of different kinds of cells for tissue-specific purposes, leading to enhanced promotion of hair growth.

• Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) – IGF-1 is a growth factor and a hormone. Its structure is very similar to that of insulin. One of its major functions is adult anabolism (the creation of complex molecules in living organisms from simpler ones). Hair growth involves anabolism.

• Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) – EGF is a growth factor that has been found in various types of human tissue. It is a growth factor that stimulates cell growth along with proliferation and differentiation. As such, the body utilizes it for wound healing, injury recovery, and hair growth.

• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) – This growth factor is actually a protein involved in blood vessel formation, much like PDFG. Its most important role is to help in the creation of new blood vessels following an injury. However, VEGF is also involved in hair growth; VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) is a marker of angiogenesis, stimulating hair growth by facilitating the supply of nutrients to the hair follicle, increasing follicular diameter. supply of nutrients to the hair follicle, increasing follicular diameter. (https://tinyurl.com/PRPreference)

• One PRP session takes about 1 hour from start to finish. This can be shorter if one opts out of the topical numbing cream. Some people find the procedure just as comfortable without the numbing cream, especially with the use of other offered neuro-distracting techniques. Dr. Stevens will collect a sample of your blood for processing. You will be free to sit and relax while the blood sample processes and the PRP is prepared. Following this, the PRP will be placed into the scalp via tiny injections into a specific layer of the scalp to optimize its effects on the specific tissue targets we intend it to act on.

• As mentioned, we can use a numbing cream to help to reduce the sensation of the needles. Most people find our other comfort measures more effective. These include vibration, cold packs, and the option to add inhaled nitrous oxide.

There is essentially no downtime with PRP. There are some light restrictions advised, such as avoiding Ibuprofen or Naproxen for 24 hours, avoiding excessive strenuous exercise for 6 hours, and avoiding hot showers or hot tubs until the following morning. Most people are back to normal life immediately after they leave the clinic from the procedure.

The most common side effect is still not that common. This is a mild headache which can usually be easily remedied with a Tylenol. It is a theoretical possibility that one can have some bleeding or even infection with any procedure which involves puncturing the skin, however this would be extremely rare.

The typical recommended course of therapy is 1 treatment each month for 3 treatments. This is best repeated annually, though some people opt to do a maintenance of 1 treatment each 3-6 months (depending on their response).

It is important that we advise that there are no large clinical studies yet assessing the efficacy of PRP for hair regeneration. The statements made here regarding PRP have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. As there are no large FDA-approved placebo-controlled studies to assess the efficacy of PRP for hair restoration, its efficacy has not been confirmed by the FDA. More research is still needed to provide this evidence. As such, engaging in this therapy is done under the understanding that it is currently considered an alternative therapy.

Additionally, keep in mind that results vary from patient to patient. Though many patients have good results with PRP, some do not respond as significantly. This lack of response can be from many unpredictable and uncontrollable factors, and so we are unable to make any guarantees of success.