PRP Hair Growth Treatment

PRP or Platelet-Rich Plasma hair regrowth treatment is a non-surgical and completely natural medical procedure used to treat hair loss or hair thinning. The treatment uses the patient’s own platelet cells from their blood to stimulate hair growth. Platelets are a part of our blood that act as healing agents and contains various active growth factors and cytokines which have been shown to be responsible for stimulating hair growth.

PRP treatment for hair regrowth is recognized as one of the most effective treatments for various forms of hair loss in both men and women. You may have actually heard of PRP before as it is not a new technique. PRP treatment on the face, also commonly known as “Vampire Facelifts”, has gained popularity in the recent years for its ability to minimize fine lines and restore volume to the face. Similarly, this same PRP treatment method can be applied to the scalp to help trigger dormant hair follicles, encouraging them to grow more dense and larger in fiber diameter.

The main components that make up our blood include: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Plasma is the liquid component of blood in which the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are suspended in. Platelets are tiny cells in the blood that plug and form a clot at any site of injury to initiate the repair of the damage. Moreover, platelets are known to contain cytokines and various active growth factors that stimulate tissue recovery by increasing blood flow. They have also been shown to be specifically responsible for stimulating and enhancing hair follicle growth.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a concentration of plasma with platelets derived from the patient’s own blood. Similar to getting a blood test at a lab, our physician will first draw 30-60 cc of blood from the patient’s arm. The tube of blood is then spun in a centrifuge, a machine used to isolate the solids from the liquids in any solution, to separate the red blood cells and white blood cells from the platelet-rich plasma. Using a fine injection needle, the platelet-rich plasma is then meticulously injected into the scalp. This acts as a delivery system to deliver a high concentration of growth factors to each hair follicle.

Individuals who are experiencing hair thinning or have small areas of alopecia areata are ideal candidates for PRP treatment. From our experience, men and women that are in the early stages of hair thinning where active hair follicles can still be observed experience the most success with PRP hair regrowth treatments.

Individuals who are in the early stages of hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia are also ideal candidates for PRP treatments. Androgenic alopecia is a genetically determined, patterned and progressive loss of hair that affect 40% of women over 50 and more than 70% of men over 50. It is the most common cause of hair loss and the condition will continue to progress without any treatment. Many people who have androgenetic alopecia choose to undergo hair transplantation. However, individuals who are in the early stages of androgenetic alopecia may not be ideal candidates for hair transplantation surgery as the full extent of potential baldness is not yet known. Until the full extent of baldness is established, PRP would be an effective option for slowing down the hair loss process and for stimulating new hair growth. Moreover, PRP may potentially stimulate new hair growth allowing young men and women who are dealing with male pattern baldness to postpone or even avoid hair transplant surgery.

Ideal candidates for PRP hair regrowth treatments should also be in good health. Individuals who suffer from medical conditions such as blood disorders, cancer, or thyroid disorders, may not be eligible for PRP treatments. During your consultation, Dr. Morrell or Dr. Guhman will be able to determine whether or not you are a suitable candidate for PRP hair regrowth treatments.

At the Medical Rejuvenation Centre, Dr. Morrell and Dr. Ghuman recommend that patients undergo 3-4 treatments 4 weeks apart. Following this protocol can result in the improvement in hair texture, thickness of hair shaft and growth of new hairs in the treated area within 6 weeks after the first treatment. However, it is important to keep in mind that PRP treatments do not produce immediate results and results vary from patient to patient. It may take three to six months to see measurable results from the initial treatment. For most patients, the first major difference that they will notice is the decrease in hair shedding. This is then followed by early hair regrowth and increased length of hair and then an increase in hair shaft diameter.

Typically, there is minimal downtime or activity restrictions after a PRP hair regrowth treatment. Some patients may experience mild inflammation in the form of redness and numbness of the scalp which will subside after several hours. After around 12 hours, patients may shower, shampoo, and condition the hair as normal. The use of topical hair growth treatments, such as Minoxidil, can resume the next day. However, harsh chemical colour and perming treatments should be performed at least 7 days after the treatment. Swelling and bruising may occur on rare occasions, but it will resolve itself within several days.

PRP hair regrowth treatments are non-surgical treatments which can be comfortably and safely carried out at our clinic. Each treatment takes about an hour with most of that time spent on preparation. As the injections may be slightly uncomfortable or even painful to some patients, our doctors will prepare the scalp with antiseptic solution and will administer local anesthetics to ensure that the process is as comfortable as possible. Moreover, a vibrating device may be used on the area that is being injected which will further minimize any discomfort.

As the PRP is extracted from the patient’s own blood, there is virtually no risk of any allergic reactions or product side effects. Infections are also extremely rare.