PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma and it is a type of therapy used for hair loss. The therapy is made up off a three-step treatment during which a person’s blood is drawn, processed, and then injected back into the scalp. The idea behind this treatment is that PRP injections trigger natural hair growth. It helps stimulate and maintain hair follicles by increasing the blood supply thus making hair strong and healthy.
This treatment may be used in coordination with some other hair loss treatments or medications in order to achieve the best results.
• People who have thinning hair
• People who have received hair transplant surgery and may need additional support in having thick, strong hair
• People who would like to have healthier, stronger and thicker hair
• People who would like to prevent hair loss in the future
This is a three step process which requires three treatments that are ideally a month apart. In the first step, the patient’s blood is drawn and then placed into a centrifuge which is a machine that spins very fast in order to separate fluids of different densities. The second stage begins when the machine stops having separated the blood into different layers. These layers are red blood cells, platelet poor plasma and platelet rich plasma. In the third step, the platelet rich plasma is the drawn up into syringe and then injected into the areas of the scalp that needs treatment. These are area where hair is thinning or has fallen out.
Local anesthesia may be administered to the recipient area in order to prevent any discomfort during the injections.
It takes a few treatments of PRP to start seeing results. There are virtually no side effects or downtime required after the treatments. Some soreness and redness may be present in the injected area but other than that the patient will be free to resume daily activities.
Touch-ups will be required a few times a year in order to maintain the results.