PRP - Treatment for Hair Rejuvenation
Platelet-Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) is a treatment doctors and health practitioners have been using for some time to accelerate healing in various areas of the body.
It has been shown to be particularly effective in the treatment of hair loss in men as a result of androgenetic alopecia, also known as male-pattern baldness, a common condition that causes hair follicles to shrink.
Male pattern baldness: What you need to know
Male-pattern baldness refers to a loss of hair on the scalp. It happens as hormone levels change over a man's lifetime, and especially in the later years. It is thought to affect half of all men by the age of 50 years. Men normally lose their hair when three main factors interact: genetics, age, and hormones.
These factors contribute to the gradual shrinkage of the tiny cavities in the skin at the base of hairs, known as scalp hair follicles. Hair grows progressively shorter and finer until no new hairs grow.
Men with more first- and second-degree relatives who lose their hair have a higher chance of losing hair themselves. Many men see hair loss as a natural part of growing older, and they do not perceive the need for treatment. However, hair loss can trigger negative psychological effects, such as low self-esteem. In some, it can contribute to depression.
How PRP works
To understand how PRP works, it is important to be aware of the role that platelets play in healing.
Platelets are a component of blood, along with red and white blood cells. When a person sustains a cut or wound, the platelets are some of the body's "first responders" that arrive to stop the bleeding and promote healing.
Researchers theorized that if they could extract concentrated platelets and inject them into damaged areas of the body, they could accelerate healing.
To produce PRP, your Health Professional will take a blood sample and put it into a machine called a centrifuge. This machine spins at a rapid rate, which separates the components of the blood. The platelets are then extracted for injection. PRP contains a range of growth factors and proteins that speed tissue repair.
Is it effective?
Although PRP is a relatively new approach, there is growing scientific evidence to suggest that it can promote hair growth. In 2019, a team of researchers carried out a systematic review of the research on PRP as a treatment for hair loss. Their findings appear in the journal “Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.”
The analysis ultimately focused on 11 research papers that included a total of 262 participants with androgenetic alopecia. According to the authors, most of the studies found that injections of PRP reduced hair loss and increased the diameter of hairs and the density of hair growth.
Hair Loss in Women
It is not only men who experience androgenic alopecia. Women too can suffer. This might present as a widening parting with normal hair thickness at the back of the head. PRP therapy is equally beneficial in it’s efficacy for both men and women.
Treatments are typically performed once a month for the first three to four months, and then every three to six months thereafter, depending on the individual patient's response and results. Following this protocol, anticipated results can first be seen within two to three months.
Why choose PRP therapy?
For those struggling to find hair-loss solutions, PRP therapy is an effective and risk free option which is medically and scientifically backed.
Please contact Claudia, your PRP Health Practitioner for further information/book an appointment.