PRP Treatment for Hair Growth

Hair Loss sure is a pain in the neck. Although there are numerous home remedies and hair growth products out there in the market, hair loss is something that is beyond our control. There may be both internal and external factors that induce loss of hair; few among them include heredity, underlying medical conditions, bad hair care, extreme physical stress or hormonal imbalances. With a plethora of beauty treatments combined with technology out there, the demand for quick and effective results are escalating. This is where hair regrowth treatments come into the picture. One among the best, effective treatments include the PRP. PRP stands for Platelet-Rich Plasma, and if you’re wondering what it really is, let’s dive deeper into the subject matter. 

What is PRP hair treatment? 

PRP, a substance that is drawn from your blood is an injection based treatment that induces hair growth into your scalp. This substance that is injected into your scalp helps heal the bodily tissues, including follicles from which the hair strands grow. With state-of-the-art technology that uses a centrifuge-like mechanism, the PRP is generally obtained from your blood, which is then  separated apart. This contains an increased  concentration of specific protein substances that are said to promote and escalate the healing process. This three step non-surgical medical treatment is extracted from your blood which will basically be separated into three parts; platelet-poor plasma, platelet-rich plasma and red blood cells. 

The Platelet-rich plasma consists of many growth factors.  Predominantly, the prominent growth factors of this substance includes transforming growth factor (TGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGB). The platelets generally initiate the repair process and augment the stem cells in order to repair and escalate your body’s natural healing process. This is because the platelets are rich in growth and healing factors. 

This PRP hair restoration is a suitable and feasible treatment for both men and women in cases of hair loss, premature balding, or hair thinning. Since some of the types of hair loss result may be from a decrease in the amount and volume of the hair follicles, platelet-rich plasma therapy can be an amazing hair loss treatment which can induce hair growth. PRP therapy for hair can help reverse the process of androgenetic alopecia, i.e., male pattern baldness or female pattern hair loss. Patients who have experienced hair loss, thinning hair, or suffer from alopecia areata (an autoimmune type of hair loss) may benefit from PRP injections due to the presence of large numbers of proteins and growth factor mediums in the substance. 

Does PRP treatment actually work?

The PRP treatment for hair loss is gaining efficacy among various medical professionals around the globe and the current scope of this treatment is envisioned with three sessions. The results expected from this process is said to show a comprehensive progress within the time span of just three months.

This minimally invasive hair procedure is the most safest and effective way to reverse hair loss. Due to its rich content of tissue repairing components, PRP can be successfully carried out to most of the cases in hair loss. Depending on how your body responds to the treatments, there’s be sessions that will be held every 3 to 4 months or even yearly. 

This state-of-the-art procedure takes around 30 minutes. Although most of the patients experience minimal discomfort, some of the side effects can include bleeding, hematoma and any other infection but are highly unlikely to occur. It should be noted that this procedure will not prevent you from engaging in your day-to-day activities and the side effects (if any) of the treatment in the scalp will usually reduce after three to four weeks. These side effects should be completely gone after three to six months. 

So who exactly will benefit from the PRP treatment?

PRP injections benefit a wider range of people and are restricted to a very few sets of people. These plasma injections being highly rich in platelets, potentially helps the following groups:

• Both men and women. One of the most common problems that older men face is balding and hair thinning that still stays a social stigma and is also extensively talked about. But not many address the fact that even women lose hair too, due to several factors like age, genetics, etc and are often not educated about what to do and what not to do. 
• A sizable age range of people. Various successful clinical trials have been tested with people ranging from the age group of 18 to 72.
• People suffering from androgenic alopecia or other forms of alopecia, that is a hereditary condition that affects millions of people. This is also known as male or female pattern baldness.
• People who experience balding or go through thinning of hair, but not completely become bald. The PRP injections are designed to thicken, strengthen, and grow the hair right from follicles that still function however weakly it may seem to be.
• People who have experienced hair loss recently. For the PRP injections to work at their best efficient state, your best chance is to fix them when your hair loss has occurred in recent times. 
• People suffering from hair loss due to an extremely high level of stress. This can be easily treated due to the fact that this condition is not chronic. 

Who cannot undergo a PRP hair treatment?

Although PRP is a safe and non-surgical treatment, medical professionals suggest that people who suffer from the following, must refrain from taking up the therapy; 

• Cancer patients
• Any acute or chronic infections
• Chronic liver diseases
• Skin diseases
• Hypofibrinogenemia (an abnormally low level of fibrinogen)
• Hemodynamic instability
• Metabolic disorders
• Systemic disorder
• Platelet dysfunction syndromes
• Sepsis
• Thyroid issues
• Low platelet count

While there are plenty of other procedures for enhancing the hair growth, there always arises a comparison between PRP and hair transplantation. So which among these two prominent treatments do we think is the most sought-after? 

When it comes to handling bald spots with no scope of hair regrowth, hair transplantation is the only treatment option that is recommended by the doctors. In the case of PRP, these injections help in stimulating the dormant hair follicles, treating thinning of hair and helps in the improvement of scalp coverage by boosting the hair density and volume. Additionally, PRP can also help enhance the results from a hair transplantation procedure.

For those people who are eligible candidates and are willing to undergo a surgery, hair transplantation is one of the best options for obtaining immediate results. For those who are hesitant and unwilling for a hair transplant, PRP therapy is a cutting-edge and exciting replacement .

Another common concept stirs up the peoples mind; ‘stem cell therapy vs PRP treatment for hair’. To start off with, stem cells are an instrumental and versatile treatment process of healing injured and inflammatory tissues through substitution. Since PRP treatment makes use of the patient's own plasma and platelets, there is generally no evident compatibility problem. But in the case of stem cell therapy, the risk of rejection is relatively higher when compared to the PRP therapy.

One of the other common questions that arise related to the PRP treatment is that, ‘Is it okay to wash the hair immediately after the treatment?’. Doctors generally recommend very safe long term after-care tips that have to be followed and what you should do immediately after you’ve undergone the treatment. Adding to this our suggestions,  it is better that you wait until the next day after the procedure to wash your hair. Your hair wash routine with shampoo is also to be used the following day. The main reason to avoid washing your hair within 24 hours after the treatment is to stay clear of any infections that can possibly impact your PRP treatment. It is also advised that patients must refrain from working out on the day of the PRP treatment. Just like shampooing, a low intensity workout routine can also be resumed the day after your PRP injections.

Don'ts’ after the PRP therapy

1. Avoid high intensity workouts, sun and heat exposure for at least 2 days after the treatment. 
2. Don’t wet your hair or scalp for at least 3 hours after the treatment. 
3. For the initial 3 days, ensure to use a shampoo that is pH balanced.
4. Avoid using any hair products like styling creams or serums, for at least 6 hours after the treatment. 
5. Be sure to take a shower only in hot water and wash your hair the same evening after the treatment, to elevate the effects of PRP injection.
6. Avoid steam rooms, saunas, swimming pools for 2 days after the treatment. 
7. Intake of alcohol, caffeine, and smoking should be avoided for 3 days after undergoing the treatment. However it should be noted that people who smoke do not heal well and problems generally recur earlier and results may take longer to show up. 
8. Avoid coloring your hair or using heat styling for the next 3 days. 
9. Increase your water intake during the first week after the treatment. 
10. Do not consume any blood thinning medications such as vitamin E or vitamin A. .

Although PRP Therapy results vary from person to person, patients will need to take up additional treatments every three to six months for long term results. This may also be stretched up to a year depending on the individual’s concerns and how their system reacts to the PRP therapy sessions. A huge number of people ideally require about four to five PRP treatments, that are usually scheduled  one month apart to start with; in order to notice the growth of new hair. This non-surgical hair growth treatment is said to be comparatively an inexpensive procedure when compared to other surgical treatments; where the PRP treatment cost ranges based on the number of sessions that are required. Consult with Tamira’s experts who will never fail to help you flaunt your hair all day, everyday!