Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for Hair Loss

Conveniently located to serve the areas of Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Euless, Bedford, Hurst, Denton, and North Texas. 

There are various hair loss treatments with different levels of reliability and success. One of these treatments is platelet-rich plasma (PRP). 

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a substance extracted from your blood and injected into hair follicles from where your hair grows. PRP is drawn from your blood using a centrifuge-like mechanism that can separate the substance from your blood and increase the concentration of specific proteins that stimulate healing.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment is a kind of regenerative medicine that can support your body’s healing properties and enhance the natural growth factors your body uses to heal tissue. Research suggests that PRP injections can help treat androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness). Since PRP treatments use patient’s tissues, they are considered safe and can be conducted alone or used in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures. 

At The Hair Transplant Center – Fort Worth, we mostly perform PRP therapy in combination with FUE hair transplant surgery. We also offer stand-alone PRP treatments for hair loss. 

Let’s get into what PRP treatment is, how it is performed for hair loss, and what results you can expect.

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Contents

What is PRP Treatment?
How Is PRP for Hair Loss Performed?
Is PRP Effective at Regrowing Hair?
Is PRP for Hair Loss Safe?
Possible PRP Hair Treatment Side Effects
How Much Does PRP Hair Treatment Cost?
Is PRP a Good Option for You?
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What is PRP Treatment?

PRP is produced from your own blood. It is a concentration of one type of cell, known as platelets (also called thrombocytes), which are tiny fragments of cells that are essential for normal blood clotting so you can stop bleeding. 

Platelets and the liquid plasma portion of the blood contain many factors that are essential for the cell recruitment, multiplication, and specialization that are required for healing. In other words, platelet-rich plasma is the blood that contains more platelets than usual. 

PRP treatment is done by obtaining a blood sample from a patient, putting it into a centrifuge — a tool that rapidly spins the sample — segregating the other components of the blood from the platelets and concentrating them within the plasma.

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Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for Hair Loss

How Is PRP for Hair Loss Performed?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy for hair loss is performed by conducting a three-step treatment wherein your blood is drawn, refined, and then injected into the scalp. It has been in use since the 1980s for conditions such as healing injured tendons, sprained joints, and pulled muscles. 

Some experts in the medical field believe that PRP injections improve hair growth and maintain it by increasing blood supply to the hair follicle and enhancing the thickness of the hair shaft. They combine this approach with other hair loss procedures or medications.

PRP is produced in a three-step process. Most PRP therapy involves three treatments (four to six weeks apart) and requires follow-up every four to six months.

  1. Your blood is drawn from your arm by placing 20 milliliters of whole blood into a centrifuge, a machine that rapidly spins the sample to separate fluids of different densities.
  2. After 10 minutes in the centrifuge, your blood separates into three layers:
  • Platelet-poor plasma
  • Platelet-rich plasma
  • Red blood cells
  1. The platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is filled out into a syringe and then injected into target areas of the scalp.

Although it may be not noticeable when mixed in our blood, plasma is naturally a pale yellow that is quite easy to see by contrast when it separates in the centrifuge.

PRP contains a variety of growth factors and proteins that accelerate tissue repair. At first, researchers hypothesized that PRP could stimulate hair regrowth by reversing the process that occurs in androgenetic alopecia. From that moment, PRP has become a famous method of restoring hair growth. 

How often a person should have PRP treatment will differ depending on a person’s condition and the results of the initial treatment. Our hair transplant physician may recommend having maintenance injections every three to six months once hair loss is under control.

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01
Is PRP Effective at Regrowing Hair?
02
Is PRP for Hair Loss Safe?
03
Possible PRP Hair Treatment Side Effects
04
How Much Does PRP Hair Treatment Cost?

Is PRP Effective at Regrowing Hair?

PRP injections can be effective in treating male pattern baldness, preventing hair loss, and stimulating new hair growth. It can also help in stimulating hair growth after hair replacement procedures.

It is believed that PRP contains proteins that have several kinds of growth factors (platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor (TGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and interleukin (IL)-1) that could promote new follicle development and enhance the natural formation of new blood vessels. 

PRP treatments in thinning hair could help the shrinking follicles produce hair more effectively and develop new hair follicles. Therefore, if there are new follicles, new hair may grow.

A 2014 pilot study injected 2 to 3 milliliters of PRP four times (two weeks apart) in 11 participants who didn’t get relevant results with oral finasteride or topical minoxidil. Researchers found hair loss slowed down between the first and fourth injections of PRP. The conclusion? PRP injection is an easy, economical, and practical treatment option for androgenic alopecia, with high overall patient satisfaction. 

While the efficacy of stand-alone injections as a treatment for hair restoration requires more research, PRP has been proven very effective in wound healing. Therefore, we almost always use PRP treatments in conjunction with FUE.

Is PRP for Hair Loss Safe?

PRP treatments for hair loss are considered safe, especially when performed by a skilled and experienced hair transplant surgeon. There’s no need to run it through a wide variety of testing because the patient’s own blood is used. 

Plasma is commonly used during medical-surgical treatments. For instance, plasma is used to treat immunodeficiency diseases, injuries, burns, genetic emphysema. It is also used to provide a quick immune boost (via antibodies) in potentially life-threatening situations.

In the case of hair restoration, the safety concerns are the same as in any other treatment procedure. Besides the need for a sterile needle and syringe, there’s very little risk of infection involved in the procedure. 

There are also mild risks involved including headache, pain, redness, and temporary hair shedding. It’s important to note that PRP may not be suitable for those with a history of bleeding disorders or autoimmune diseases.

Possible PRP Hair Treatment Side Effects

PRP treatment has some possible side effects from injections and from the procedure itself that includes:

  • Blood vessel injury on the scalp
  • Nerve injury
  • Infection at the injection site
  • Scar tissue from the injection site
  • Side effects from anesthesia such as muscle aches, confusion, or bladder control issues

How Much Does PRP Hair Treatment Cost?

At The Hair Transplant Center – Fort Worth, we use PRP treatment in conjunction with other hair transplant procedures for $1,000 per session. We conduct a series of three treatments that are needed before you can get significant results. We also offer PRP treatments as a minimally invasive stand-alone treatment for hair loss for $1,500 per treatment or three treatments for $3,000.

Is PRP a Good Option For You?

If you’re worried about hair loss, you may have tried different options including medications like Rogaine and Propecia, but didn’t get any favorable results. In that case, PRP treatment is a good option. 

Although there’s limited clinical proof that PRP for hair loss works, researchers have found evidence that PRP can lead to renewed hair growth. Many believe that PRP is a safe and effective way of reversing hair loss and stimulating new hair growth. 

While PRP is a stand-alone hair loss treatment option we offer at The Hair Transplant Center – Fort Worth, we often don’t perform it on its own. We use PRP treatments in conjunction with other FUE hair transplant procedures as a way to facilitate the healing process. 

Contact us now to see which treatment or combination of treatments is the best choice for you.

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