Losing your hair can be a stressful and embarrassing process. With society strongly associating a full head of hair with youth and vitality, hair loss can be a very difficult transition, especially if it progresses quickly and unexpectedly. PRP therapy can be a viable alternative to hair transplant surgery, and Drs. David Lieberman and Sachin Parikh are committed to educating patients about the non-surgical options for hair restoration in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.
What Is PRP?
PRP, short for platelet-rich plasma, is plasma from the blood that has been enriched with platelets. PRP contains a number of growth factors and small proteins that help stimulate the healing of soft tissue. PRP therapy has been used for years in the fields of orthopedics, dentistry, and dermatology.
PRP therapy for hair restoration involves drawing out a patient’s own blood, processing it down so that a purified version of only the enriched cells (i.e. PRP) is left behind, and injecting this formula into the scalp to stimulate natural hair growth. The use of a patient’s own blood in this form of hair restoration therapy has led to PRP being dubbed the “vampire hair regrowth plan.”
This minimally invasive, non-surgical process of hair restoration can be used on patients suffering from hair loss that may either be premature or early onset, or has occurred due to the aging process. It can be used on patients of any gender – while hair loss or thinning does not commonly result in large patches of baldness in women as it typically does with men, it is much more common than many women might realize or admit.
PRP hair restoration can be a very effective treatment* that works by strengthening existing hair follicles. Part of the issue with thinning hair is that the follicles themselves lose their hair density. While one follicle produces two to three strands of hair on average, follicles in individuals suffering from thinning hair may each produce only a single strand of hair. PRP hair restoration can stimulate the follicles to boost the number of strands each of them grows.
Phases of PRP Therapy
- ● Blood is first withdrawn from the patient, and spun in a centrifuge to separate out all its components. The platelets are collected and stored in order to allow them to multiply. This multiplication process also yields growth factors that will stimulate hair growth in the follicles of the scalp.
- ● The second step involves activating the scalp with a scalp roller to readily receive the growth factors and proteins from the PRP. Sometimes, microneedling may also be used for further activation.
- ● The PRP is then injected into the scalp for the follicles and cells in the scalp to absorb and stimulate hair restoration.
Since there are no additional foreign substances, and the patient’s own genetic material is used, the chances of adverse reactions or rejection in PRP hair restoration is very low.
Find Your Treatment Pathway for Hair Loss
Drs. Lieberman and Parikh note that PRP hair restoration can also be combined with other hair restoration techniques such as microneedling, hair transplant surgery, and medications such as Propecia® and Rogaine® to combat hair loss more effectively.
Depending on the cause of hair loss and the desired treatment goals of the patient, a doctor could also conclude that another hair restoration method may be more appropriate to treat the case. There is no perfect, one-stop cure for hair loss, as the treatment for each is heavily dependent on the cause or causes of hair loss.
Drs. Lieberman and Parikh would be happy to help anyone who wants to learn more about hair loss and hair restoration, and to determine whether PRP and/or other hair restoration treatments may be right for their cause of hair loss.
To schedule a consultation at the Bay Area’s Lieberman & Parikh Center for Hair Restoration, Call (650) 332-8105 or Email here.